Preview

Family and Medical Leave Act (Fmla)

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
897 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Family and Medical Leave Act (Fmla)
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) What is Family and Medical leave Act (FMLA)? The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that was passed in 1993, is a national policy that grants workers up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave in four situations. These four situations are for pregnancy; to care for an infant, such as newborns, newly-placed foster children, and adoptions; to care for a relative with a serious health condition; or to allow an employee to recover and recuperate from a personal serious health condition. This paper will be discussing the impact of FMLA on employers and the protections provided by this law. (Vikesland, 2009)
Protections Provided by FMLA The FMLA is covered mainly through private-sector employers and public agencies having more than five employees. Those who are eligible for FMLA, are employees who have been employed for at least one year and have worked over 1,250 hours the previous year. Those who are excluded are employees who are at any worksite when a company has fewer than 50 employees that work within 75 miles of the company. The basic forward motion behind this act was in due course to establish a need and assistance to families in the midst of crisis. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division published a Final Rule under the Family and Medical Leave Act. This final rule became effective on January 16, 2009, which updates the FMLA regulations to implement new military family leave entitlements enacted under the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008.
The Impact of FMLA on Employers The FMLA is controversial even to this day. Employers who support this act argues that as more women who enter the workforce, workers have a legal right to take leave as needed to care for family members who are injured, sick, or even to care for infants. FMLA allows workers to balance their lifestyle with commitments to work and family life, making it easier for employers who support this act to retain their employees. Prior



References: Family and Medical Leave Act. Wage and Hour Division. Retrieved on March 29, 2009: http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/ Vikesland , Gary. MA LP CEAP.”Balancing Work and Family”. Retrieved on March 29, 2009: http://www.employer-employee.com/fmla.html

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Maternity Leave Benefits

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The United States is one of only three countries remaining that do not guarantee paid maternity leave to mothers. This becomes a problem not only for new mothers, but also creates a potentially stressful environment for both the newborn and the family. Unsubstantial and unpaid parental leave in the United States contributes to the gender pay gap, is damaging to new mothers, and contributes to the drop in birth rates amongst women in high paid positions.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On August 5, 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act became effective for most of the employers and employees covered by the act. The FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons, including serious health conditions that prevent the employee from working. Not only has the FMLA evolved over the years, but also the current application in the workplace environment is very complex for the employee as well as the employer.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essay On Parental Leave

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This paper explains the importance of a parental leave law and why it needs to be paid. It evaluates the benefits on employees, on the economy and on society of a paid parental leave law. Taking from previously published articles, it examines how the United States ranks against other industrialized countries when it comes to paid leave and how other countries finance such leaves. Then, it synthesizes from these standards a proposal for a reasonable paid parental leave provision for the…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) states that an employee may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to a handle domestic responsibilities which include the birth of a child. It also states that the employee shall retain his same or equivalent position with the same pay and benefits up on his return to work.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Informative Outline

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Title of Presentation: The role of the Family and Medical Leave Act in the workplace.…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Before the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, pregnant women could be forced to take a leave of absence or resign because of their current condition. Employers did not have to provide disability or medical coverage for pregnancy. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by stating that pregnancy is a disability and that pregnant employees, in covered organizations, must be treated equally as employees having other medical conditions. Under the law, it is illegal for employees to deny sick leave for morning sickness or related pregnancy illness if sick leave is permitted for other medical conditions such as flu or surgical operations. Specifically, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act affects employee benefit programs including (1) hospitalization and major medical insurance, (2) temporary disability and salary continuation plans, and (3) sick leave policies (Bohlander and Snell, 105).…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Family Leave Act 1993

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 has been a helpful law in aiding families to fair medical or family leave. This law helps make clear cut rules of how an employer can deal with an employee’s medical or family leave. This also lays out a clear way for employees to know what their rights are under the Family and Medical Leave Act. It defines the protections for all employees at a workplace with at least fifty employees who commute within seventy-five miles of their workplace.…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pros And Cons Of Fmla

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The policy in question is the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Federal Medical Leave act was originally enacted over twenty years ago but has not been revised and expanded to include payment while time is taken off. FMLA is currently the closest thing the United States has to a parental leave policy, as it allows for some working women and me to take time off from their job while they have a child or care for their family; this leave from work however, is not paid. The idea for the FMLA originated in 1984 in California when a court in California ruled that the Pregnancy Discrimination amendments in 1978 was discriminatory towards men based on their sex.…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1993, The state of Oregon passed The Oregon Family Leave Act. This act requires to provide eligible workers with protected leave to care for themselves or family members in cases such as death, illness, injury, childbirth, adoption, or foster placement. () There are certain specific requirements an employee must meet in order to receive time off from work. The fundamental purpose of the act is to ensure employees have the choice to withdraw from work under special circumstances without worrying about losing their job and/or seniority. * The Oregon Family Leave Act is a great safety net for those who are employed with big companies, and have been at with their companies for an extended period of time.…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In data analyzed by the National Partnership for Women & Families from the Department of Labor’s Key Findings FMLA Survey from 2012, it was found that FMLA is providing very needed support to nearly 60% of the U.S.’s workforce or 90 million people. The law apparently is helping both men and women manage their roles in work and family, the very reason it was created. Nevertheless, for the very reason it is doing marginally well, the FMLA could be doing so much more for the American people to portray a true investment in the ever-evolving definition of a family. 60% of the workforce is not good enough. Businesses with less employees, the report states, for example those business with 20 or more workers, should be legally bound to provide leave for their workers. I believe also, that part of the reason for the under-utilization of this policy is because those who could really use this law are not necessarily aware of it, particularly vulnerable populations, like military families. The most glaring reason, though, is the fact that this leave is unpaid. Allowing a person time to balance their lives is great, but to do this very often in the face of a life-altering change, be it a birth, death or acute illness, without pay people cannot utilize FMLA for as long as they may need it and inevitably a person who has to worry…

    • 1313 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Family Medical Leave Act

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As “Kelly (2010) states “The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) requires that U.S. workplaces with at least 50 employees provide 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected parental leave, as well as unpaid leaves for employees with serious illnesses and those caring for seriously ill relatives” (para. 2). It is up the the employer to determine what falls under a serious illnesses, as well as how they keep tract of an employee's time off. There are many issues that can arise if an employer is not educated and organized when it comes to this act and this can in turn affect the employee taking the leave. One big debate is that FMLA is an unpaid leave and employees are unable to afford taking leave if it is unpaid.…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    While time off for vacation is not federally enforced, employers are legally obligated to provide certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave each year under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a labor law which was passed in 1993. Employees that would qualify for this type of leave include persons that are caring for a sick family member, persons who must leave due to a serious health condition that prevents them from working, or persons that have to care for a new child, by birth, adoption or foster care.…

    • 1534 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lit1 Task 2

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages

    An employee took time off due to his wife giving birth prematurely. His requested time off was approved by his original manager as the employee qualified for FMLA since he has been with the company for two years and was for the care of his spouse. Under (1)”FMLA rules certain employees can be provided up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave per year. The employee must work for the company at least 12 months, have at least 1250 hours during the 12 months and the where the employee work, the company must employ at least 50 employees within 75 miles”.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was eight long years in the making. After many bitter debates between the Republicans and Democrats, Congress passed the Act on February 4, 1993. President Clinton signed the measure into law the following day. The Act became effective on August 5, 1993. The Act required employers with fifty or more employees within a seventy-five mile radius to offer eligible employees up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave during a twelve month period for a variety of medical reasons. Some of the general medical reasons are, for the birth or adoption, to care for a seriously ill parent, spouse or child or to undergo medical treatment for their own illness. The Act spelled out provisions on employer coverage; employee eligibility for the law's benefits; entitlement to leave, maintenance of health benefits during leave, and job restoration after leave; notice and certification of the need for FMLA leave; and protection for employees who request or take FMLA leave. (1) The law also requires employers to keep certain records. It was estimated that the Act would affect five percent of America's employers and forty percent of all employees. This paper will show the ethical standpoint on how employers handle FMLA. In addition, this paper will show the progress FMLA has made in five years, becoming more ethically correct.…

    • 1732 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Futhermore, employers also stand to benefit from family leave through increased employee retention, reduced turnover, and increased loyalty and morale. Under the FMLA, workers are given 12 weeks of unpaid time off work to care for newborn or newly adopted children and etc.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays