Employers: Make Sure You Define 12-Month FMLA Leave Policy

Staff members can use up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave in a 12-month period. However, you can measure the leave in several different ways.

FMLA allows the business owner to use any of the following processes to calculate the 12-month period:

Calendar year: 12-month period that runs from January 1 through December 31

Fixed 12 months:

1. A fiscal year
2. A year starting on an employee’s anniversary date
3. A 12-month period required by state law
4. A 12-month period measured forward
5. A ‘rolling’ 12-month period measured backward from the first date an employee takes FMLA leave

The rolling backward technique can be confusing. Here is an example of rolling backward measurement:

Kim requests four weeks of FMLA leave to start on March 31, 2019. The employer looks back 12 months (from March 31, 2019 back to April 1, 2018) to see if Kim has used any FMLA leave. You determine that Kim had not used any FMLA leave during that period, so she is entitled to the four weeks requested and has eight additional weeks available.

When your company’s 12 month FMLA measurement, remember to;

• Notify associates of FMLA rights and company policies
• Apply it equally to all workers

WorkforceHUB Simplifies FMLA

With WorkforceHUB, you can easily notify team members of FMLA rights and company policies regarding the 12 month measurement. WorkforceHUB is an HR portal that staff members can access on their phone, tablet, or work computer. WorkforceHUB also makes it easy to create employee handbooks and update them as needed.

TimeWorksPlus Ensures Accurate Timekeeping

The simplest way to implement FMLA does not protect you from scenarios where a team member takes 24 consecutive weeks of FMLA leave. TimeWorksPlus helps you administer any of the measurement methods. It’s especially useful for the rolling backward or forward measuring method.

TimeWorksPlus is the leading automated employee timekeeping for small to mid-size businesses. WorkforceHUB includes TimeWorksPlus.

 

UPGRADE TODAY

Absolute Payroll Inc offers WorkforceHUB, the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) that makes it easy to optimize the performance of your supervisors, employees, and company workflows.

WorkforceHUB includes TimeWorksPlus, TimeSimplicity, TimeWorks Mobile, and ApplicantStack. We’ve just added hiring, onboarding, benefits enrollment, performance reviews, and employee engagement! WorkforceHUB was created for busy employers like you who need to reduce cost-per-hire, streamline scheduling, automate time tracking, maintain regulatory compliance, and lower labor costs.

How much can you save? Check our Absolute Payroll Inc ROI Calculator.

We can get you up and running with WorkforceHUB immediately. Contact us today to schedule a demo.