One of the employment laws that affect how you manage your staff is the The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This is a federal law that requires certain employers to provide their employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for certain qualifying reasons. These reasons include the birth or adoption of a child, the care of a family member with a serious health condition, and the employee’s own serious health condition.
In terms of what this means for a law office employer, you are required to provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for the reasons outlined above, without fear of retaliation or job loss. The employer would also be required to maintain the employee’s health benefits during the leave period, and to reinstate the employee to their same or an equivalent position upon their return.
Additionally, the law office employer would be required to provide notice to employees of their rights under FMLA, and to keep records related to employee leave requests and usage. Employers that are covered by FMLA must also comply with any additional state family and medical leave laws that provide greater rights to employees.