Topics
HR Support on Employee Leave Management & Compliance
Editor's Note: Managing leaves of absence can be tricky for HR.
Overview: Employers have an obligation to comply with various federal, state and local leaves of absence laws. Many employers go beyond the law and voluntarily offer leaves (such as bereavement, pandemic leave or paid sick leave). These additional leaves may be effective for staying competitive in attracting new talent, increasing employee morale or retaining employees. Multistate employers may offer leaves that are not legally required in order to create uniformity (provide all employees with the same benefits) and for administrative and morale reasons.
Employers need to be careful that their leave policies comply with the law that creates the greatest degree of protection for employees.
Employers must always comply with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and Title VII when it handles leave requests and/or creates leave policies. Employers must also always check their state and/or local law when managing leaves of absence. Many state laws differ from federal law (e.g. states may offer paid leave, or states may expand the scope of leave to care for family members that federal law does not cover such as domestic and/or same-sex partners) - and, many states differ from one another. For example, some states protect an employee's right to accept another employment opportunity while on approved leave (moonlighting) while other states specify that an employer can prohibit outside employment that creates a conflict of interest.
Employers must always be aware of the risk of legal claims for interference, retaliation and discrimination when managing leaves. The best way for an employer to reduce risk is to ensure that all policies are enforced in a consistent manner across the organization.
Trends: Federal law does not have a paid sick leave law - however, there is a push for the federal government to enact such a law. Connecticut and certain municipalities (for example, the District of Columbia, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle) are required to provide eligible employee with paid sick leave - though the requirements for leave vary from municipality to municipality. Many states are considering following this trend.
The EEOC is targeting employers that have a policy which calls for the automatic termination of an employee after the employee has been absent for a certain period of time. The EEOC believes that such policies do not properly meet the employer's obligation to engage in the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA's) interactive process to determine if a reasonable accommodation is necessary. Employers must conduct an individualized case-by-case analysis of the employee's situation and the employer's obligation to reasonably accommodate.
Melissa S. Burdorf, J.D., Legal Editor
Latest items in Employee Leave Management
-
FMLA: Indiana
In-depth review of the spectrum of Indiana employment law requirements HR must follow with respect to FMLA.
-
Other Leaves: Indiana
In-depth review of the spectrum of Indiana employment law requirements HR must follow in respect to other leaves.
-
Employment At-Will Content Enhanced in Several States
XpertHR has enhanced its coverage of the Employment At-Will doctrine in several states, including Louisiana, South Carolina, the District of Columbia and Texas. Employers with locations in these jurisdictions should review these additions to further enhance their understanding of how the employment at-will doctrine works in these states, together with the major exceptions to it that are relevant to defending and preventing wrongful termination cases.
-
DOL Steps up FMLA Enforcement
The US Department of Labor honored its promise to step up their Family and Medical Leave Act enforcement efforts as demonstrated by a court-enforceable settlement of a lawsuit filed against the Putnam County Board of Education.
-
Other Leaves: Kansas
In-depth review of the spectrum of Kansas employment law requirements HR must follow with respect to various leaves.
-
Family Military Leave Will Soon Be Mandatory in Maryland
Under a new law taking effect October 1, 2013, Maryland employers with 50 or more employees will need to provide each eligible employee with a one-day leave of absence on the day that employee's immediate family member is leaving for or returning from active military duty outside of the US as a member of the US armed forces.
-
Maryland FMLA Section Updated
The Maryland FMLA section of the Employment Law Manual has now been updated to include guidance on the state's recent new law regarding family military leave.
-
What should an employer do if an employee requests that his or her leave not be counted as FMLA leave?
-
NYC Poised to Become Latest City to Require Paid Sick Leave
The New York City Council passed a bill that would require many employers to provide employees one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours of leave per year, starting April 2014.
-
Taxation of Employee Benefits
Employee benefits, such as health insurance, sick pay, disability pay, workers' compensation insurance and retirement savings plans, may be subject to withholding for federal income taxes (FIT), Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes or federal unemployment (FUTA) taxes. This section assists HR professionals in understanding how each particular type of benefit plan must be structured and how to properly tax and report contributions, reimbursements and distributions in order to ensure compliance with the Internal Revenue Code.
About this topic
HR guidance on various intersecting federal and state laws addressing employee leaves of absences.