The Family and Medical Leave Act allows an employee to take time off work for qualified medical or family reasons without having to worry about losing their job. While some individuals will take off a set period of time, employees are also allowed intermittent leave, which lets them take off of work as needed to deal with medical or family problems. An employee may use intermittent leave to take care of a sick relative or sudden family crisis.
Most employers require that workers follow set procedures for requesting FMLA leave. For instance, an employee may be required to call a manager an hour before they are expected to be at work to let them know that they will be out. However, employees do not always follow these regulations.
This issue has come up in court, and it has been determined that employees must follow an employer’s call-in or notification policy. The employee may face discipline for failing to do so. If unusual circumstances prevent an employee from following the outlined protocol, an exception to this rule may be granted.
The Family and Medical Leave Act applies to businesses that have 50 or more employees. As long as people meet the requirements of the act, they are eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. However, not all employers provide these benefits to employees even if they meet the criteria for FMLA. If someone believes that their employer has failed to follow FMLA guidelines, a lawyer could go over the situation and let them know what their legal options are.
