Back in April the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled its new Employer’s Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act. (Our report is here.) The Guide was released to coincide with the annual FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance Conference hosted by Disability Management Employer Coalition in Pittsburgh. Helen Applewhaite, FMLA Branch Chief for the DOL, announced the Guide to attendees in opening remarks. Then Ms. Applewhaite and I co-presented on some tough FMLA issues (2^nd/3^rd opinions, anyone?), and presented parts of the Guide as a resource for employers.

Now the DOL has released a blog post, “What Employers Need to Know About the Family and Medical Leave Act,” more formally introducing the Employer’s Guide to the rest of the employer community. The post has a short introductory video and a link to download or order copies of the Guide. It also has links to the Matrix blog post and my friend Jeff Nowak’s blog announcing the introduction of the Employer’s Guide at the DMEC conference. Thanks to the DOL for the nod!

If you haven’t yet reviewed the Employer’s Guide, you should. It doesn’t answer all the difficult FMLA questions we encounter, but it does provide an easy-to-read, non-legal resource for employers.

While you’re at it, also take a look at the Family and Medical Leave Act Employee Guide. This concise booklet can serve as a great training and reference tool for your employees. What do I like about it? The Employee Guide doesn’t just explain employee leave rights under the FMLA; it also advises employees of their obligations if they want to benefit from FMLA leave. FMLA is a two-way street, with both parties – employer and employee – having rights and obligations.

Happy beach reading!

Matrix Can Help! Even with the new Employer’s Guide, managing FMLA leave remains a tricky and complicated business. Add various state leave laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act, worker’s compensation and company policies, and you have a perfect storm of challenging employee rights. At Matrix we are experts in these state and federal laws. We specialize in understanding how they work together and in monitoring developments so you don’t have to. For leave management and accommodation assistance, contact us at ping@matrixcos.com.