One of the best parts of my job is the chance to talk shop with other employment attorneys who, like me, work in the trenches with employers to help them comply with the FMLA and ADA.

So, when my friend Eric Meyer reached out to me to join him last Friday to share some practical advice to employers in navigating the rough waters of the FMLA and ADA, I was intrigued.  Add to the discussion another friend, Daris Freeman (AVP and counsel at Unum), and I couldn’t pass it up.

Listen to any or all of our zoom discussion here.  In 60 minutes, Eric, Daris and I covered a ton of mileage:

FMLA Hacks

  • The importance of call-in procedures and practical pointers on what your call-in procedures should look like.
  • Don’t make exceptions to the manner in which your employees report their absence, as you may lose the chance to enforce your call-in procedures.
  • Certification as an effective tool to understand need for leave and curb misuse
  • Tackling Intermittent leave

ADA Cheat Codes

  • In a nod to our friend David Fram, how the five words, “How can I help you?” should effectively begin every interactive discussion about a workplace accommodation. 
  • If an accommodation is reasonable on its face and is easy to put in place, just do it!
  • Fixing the roadblocks in the accommodation process – how do you address the manager who naysays any accommodation consideration (and how HR must come to the rescue), the need for creativity in identifying accommodations, and the importance of considering a trial period, especially for remote work
  • Understanding the parameters for obtaining fitness for duty in today’s workplace

Check out our session here. And you have no excuses – it’s free.