Do you understand the family medical leave act?

Offering time off work and sick leave is a great way to attract skilled employees to your company. There are certain situations where you are required to offer time off to your employees. These situations fall under the Family Medical Leave Act. This guarantees that an employee can obtain leave based on one of the situations and that the employer is required to leave a job open for them to return to. In order for an employee to be eligible to take time off based on the family medical leave act, they must first meet the following: they must work for a company that is covered by this act. Not all employers are part of this act so it is important to see which companies are eligible for coverage. Next the employee must work 1,250 hours for at least 12 months prior to the start of their leave. They must also work for a company where at least 50 of the employees live within 75 miles of the location. You must also work for the company for 1 year before you are eligible for these benefits.

If the employee meets all the specifications, they can claim the family medical leave act based upon the following life-altering changes:

1. Birth of a child or adoption of a child, foster care of a child also implies. Most employers will offer maternity or paternity leave to the parents of a child. Depending upon the company, you will have 6-12 weeks off work. Some companies offer more time off but it is rare to have anything larger than 3-6 months. The family medical leave act states that the mother of a child is entitled up to 12 weeks for leave of the birth or adoption of a child. The father is eligible to take time off for the birth of the child and to also care for the mother if she is incapacitated due to the birth.


2. Serious medical condition of a family member. If your employees mention that their parents or close relative is experiencing severe medical problems, they make take leave. This condition must involved inpatient care and continuing medical treatment. The close family members that are eligible to take time off for include parents, spouse, and children.


3. Serious medical condition of an employee. The employee is eligible to take time off if they have a serious medical condition. For some employees they are still able to work but unable to work the long shifts. Other employees are completely unable to work. No matter if they are able or unable to work; they can take the time off because they cannot perform all of the specific duties of their job.


4. Military duty. If an employee is enlisted and it called up to active duty, they are eligible to take leave. They can also take leave if their spouse, child, or parent is called up to active duty. There are situations which will need additional attention by the employee such as acquiring child care services, managing school activities, and adjusting to the deployment.

Offering additional time off will motivate people to work harder for the company. They will be able to see that you do care for their needs and this can go a long way in attracting and keeping your staff. It is important to check on the family medical leave act rules and stipulations in order to see that you are in compliance and to also note if you are eligible for them or not. An attorney that specializes in employment law will be able to help you understand the family medical leave act and to make sure you are in compliance.