Employees who have worked for you for at least 12 months and have worked 1,250 hours or more may qualify for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave if they are seriously injured or need to take care of an injured or seriously ill immediate family member. In addition, qualified employees may be able to get FMLA leave for up to 12 weeks if they are adopting a child or have had a child.
During every 12-month period, eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave, which is a type of job-protected and unpaid leave. Even if employees do not request FMLA leave, managers and HR professionals must offer them this leave if they qualify. If an employee is wrongfully terminated during FMLA qualified leave or if FMLA guidelines are violated, companies can face considerable fines and penalties.
Determining who is and isn't qualified for FMLA protected leave and staying in full compliance with current laws can be confusing, even for experienced HR professionals and managers. It is important that if you are a professional in the HR field, you understand how to recognize an FMLA request — even if the word FMLA is never used — and how to process the request correctly.
Lorman Education Services has a number of educational resources and FMLA training for HR professionals to help you get just the sort of training you need to make this happen. Lorman Education Services offers online training in a variety of formats, including e-books, case studies, white papers, interactive training, archived learning resources and more. You can purchase individual resources or get a yearly membership pass to access our resource materials for one budget-friendly price.
Why You Need Online FMLA Training for HR Professionals
FMLA rules are complex. For example, eligible employees can take intermittent FMLA leave for as little as one hour or even less. Eligible employees can also take FMLA leave in one-day chunks or one-week periods. In addition, under FMLA laws, qualified employees can use accrued leave for some of their FMLA leave. Even the most seasoned HR professionals may inadvertently get confused.
When it comes to FMLA training, one of the most important considerations is to ensure you do not take part in illegal employment action. For example, it's important not to keep eligible employees from taking FMLA-qualified leave. You also cannot use FMLA leave requests when making hiring, firing, disciplinary, promotion or other employment actions that are negative for the employee. In other words, you cannot use FMLA-protected leave requests against eligible employees in order to terminate them, demote them or take other action that can be detrimental to their career.
Understanding the best practices for creating an FMLA-leave system at your company can make you an asset to your organization and can help further your career options as an HR professional. Lorman Education Services can be your partner in training, allowing you to train at any time of the day or night. Lorman Education Services FMLA training resources are always available from any device with an Internet connection. Sign up for an individual course or a full-year membership. If you'd like to train your entire HR or management team, Lorman Education Services also offers on-site and personalized training solutions.
