How many of you know that this year the Family Medical Leave Act, or FMLA for short, was enacted 15 years ago? If this subject is new to you or your HR staff, perhaps it would be a good idea to look further into this...

For instance, did you know that the FMLA allows for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for an employee with either a newborn or adopted child, or used to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition, or even allows the employee to take medical leave when they are unable to work because of a serious health condition?--and their job is protected during that time?

As a quick refresher course, here is who is eligible as I understand it:

- Employees who work a minimum of 1,250 hours during a consecutive 12 month period.
- Employees that have been employed with a company for a minimum of 12 months.
- Those who have not used the 12 weeks of FMLA leave for the year.

People may want to look at the FMLA and make certain the company is following both state and federal rules and guidelines when it comes to this issue. There would be nothing worse than thinking you are complying with the FMLA, then to suddenly find your company is not. This could spell trouble...

Ideally you want to find a system that will keep track of an employee’s eligibility, as it is a bit confusing in rapidly growing or large companies to keep an eye on each and every employee’s info. Having it automatically calculated and “flagged” may just help keep the FMLA accurate and avoid litigation.

Happy 15th anniversary, FMLA!

--C Cook