Last week the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division published The Employer’s Guide to the FMLA. The Department intended the Guide to be an informational resource to “provide essential information about the FMLA” and increase employer’s knowledge of the law, obligations and options available to employers administering FMLA leave.

The Guide is broken out by section in the various stages an employee’s leave will typically traverse including the employer’s initial notice, posting and disclosure obligations; the certification process and the employer reinstatement obligations.  I thought the most interesting part of the Guide was the FMLA Roadmap (page 8) that graphically tracks the typical employee’s FMLA leave process.  While the Guide won’t answer every question likely to come up in administering FMLA leaves, it provides a good overview and general information in a relatively easy to read format.  I recommend anyone responsible for administering FMLA leaves include the new Guide in his or her FMLA toolbox.

You can download the complete guide here.

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