Frank, your night custodian, reports that he suffers from Crohn’s disease, a chronic condition that will cause him to miss work when the condition flares up from time to time, including his absence yesterday. Cleaning floors causes him a great deal of stress, which in turn exacerbates his medical condition, and yesterday was one of
Intermittent Leave
FMLA FAQ: How Does an Employer Calculate Intermittent FMLA Leave When an Employee Moves from Full-Time to Part-Time?
Q: One of our employees was at full-time status (40 hrs/wk.) six months ago when he was granted intermittent FMLA leave for a GI issue that flared up from time to time. He took 120 hours of FMLA leave (or three weeks) through last month when he transferred to a part-time position (20 hrs/wk.). He…
FMLA FAQ: How Do I Calculate FMLA Leave Where My Employee’s Work Schedule Varies From Week to Week?
Q: Several of my employees’ workweeks vary from week to week. Some might work 30 hours one week and 40 hours the following week. How do I calculate their intermittent FMLA leave in any given week?
A: As we know, FMLA leave can be taken over a continuous period of time or intermittently/reduced schedule. If…
The Best of 2014: Sending FMLA Notices by Mail/Email, Requiring Doctor’s Notes for Intermittent FMLA Absences Among Most Popular Posts This Year
It’s the final week of the year, so while everyone else in the world is playing with their latest version of iPhone and other new electronic gadgets, I spend my time analyzing this year’s FMLA blog posts and agonizing over how I can deliver the FMLA to your virtual door in an even more efficient…
FMLA Leave for Headache Effectively Converts Full-Time Position into Part-Time Position; Employers’ Shrieks Heard Across the Country
This one is a real headache.
Sam oversees a storage area for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and during certain times of the year, his position requires a fairly extensive amount of overtime. For years, Sam has suffered from “cluster headaches,” which are far worse than migraines and can last for days. Sam’s physician…
FMLA FAQ: Can Excess Trips to the Potty Be Counted as FMLA Leave?
Q: One of our employees drinks a lot of water at work and goes to the bathroom continuously throughout the day. As a result, she uses far more than her normal breaks allow. She has provided documentation that a severe medical condition in her kidneys causes this predicament. Do we have to allow this? And…
How Can Congress Improve the FMLA? Let’s Count the Ways…
Over the past month, as we recognized the 20th Anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, advocates for employees and employers have been clamoring for changes to the Act.
On one hand, employee advocates are calling for a broad expansion of the FMLA that would allow for paid leave or broader coverage (e.g.…
It’s a Fact: Employers Often Can Designate FMLA Leave in Longer Increments Than the Actual Leave Taken
In a recent post, I discussed an employer’s obligation to designate leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act even though the employee did not want it to be classified as FMLA leave.
The post generated considerable feedback and some follow-up questions. I wanted to highlight one of those questions. One of our blog followers (see right…
Giants Beat Patriots in the Super Bowl! Can I take FMLA Leave Today?
Monday, February 6, 2012 is a bittersweet day for employers across New York and elsewhere. Just hours earlier, their employees watched the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI. For these employers, however, many of their employees won’t be at work Monday morning. The reason? In a 2008 survey conducted by The…
FMLA FAQ: How Many Intermittent FMLA Leave Hours is an FLSA-Exempt Employee Entitled To?
Q. We employ an FLSA-exempt employee who has been certified for intermittent FMLA leave for migraine headaches. He averages two to three intermittent absences per month. Normally, I would calculate the employee’s total FMLA allotment as 480 FMLA hours (12 weeks x 40 hrs/wk), but he claims he should be entitled to 600 FMLA hours because…