tracking FMLA

valentine

Is there an easy way to track ee FMLA leave? We use an anniversary basis and I track it on an excell spreadsheet. This gets complicated when the person has used part of their FMLA leave during the year and then their anniversary date happens and they are entitled to another 12 weeks of leave in the same year.

It is also cumbersome to remember who took how much leave when.

Thank you very much for any help you can give me. FMLA is complicated enough without my making it more so by my tracking mechanism :-)

Susan Fentin MA

Practically speaking, it might be easier to keep each employee's leave record on an attendance calendar in their personnel file, together with the other documents that pertain to that leave request. The first month of the calendar should be the first month of their anniversary year (e.g., calendar would run from October 2002 through September 2003 for employees whose anniversary date is in October.) Then counting the weeks taken should be relatively simple. You should be aware, however, that the anniversary year calculation method is one of the most generous available. As you have already figured out, an employee could be entitled to 24 weeks of leave if he/she times the leave right. You can switch to one of the two more employer-friendly systems, but you do have to go through a transition period to be sure no one is harmed by the switch. If you'd like to discuss this further, contact me directly. Good luck!
Susan Fentin, Esq., Associate Editor
Massachusetts Employment Law Letter
(413) 737-4753 [email]sfentin@skoler-abbott.com[/email]