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FMLA Insights
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FMLA Insights
Stop Treating FMLA Certifications as If They are a Hard Cap on Leave!
By Jeff Nowak
Let's talk about a bad FMLA habit that just won't die. Employee submits a certification. The health care provider estimates the employee will need intermittent leave two times per month.…
FMLA Insights
Is an Employer Required to Allow an Employee to “Cure” a Seemingly Fraudulent FMLA Medical Certification?
By Jeff Nowak
Imagine receiving an FMLA medical certification from your employee, Dan, that has his handwriting all over it except for the physician's signature. Your fraud radar is screaming, so you want…
FMLA Insights
How Does an Employer Respond to an Employee Who Fails to Cooperate with the FMLA Second- or Third-Opinion Process (or Fails to Follow Call-in Procedures)?
By Jeff Nowak
Stop me if you've heard this one before. Russ, a bus driver, takes medical leave from work on 24 different occasions without following the employer's call-in procedure, and then preemptively…
FMLA Insights
What Can Pope Leo Teach Us About Being Good Managers of People?
By Jeff Nowak
Pope Leo XIV | Credit: Vatican Media Every once in a while, my worlds collide in the most unexpected ways. As a management-side employment attorney, I spend my days in…
FMLA Insights
When FMLA Has Impeccable Timing Around a Holiday, This is What Employers Shouldn’t Do.
By Jeff Nowak
Every HR pro knows this little workplace miracle. Just as your office or plant is winding down for Memorial Day—or some other prime-time long weekend—boom: your employee’s chronic condition suddenly…
FMLA Insights
Pinch Me! The ABA’s Summary of 2025 FMLA Court Decisions Is Now Available.
By Jeff Nowak
There are many holidays I cherish -- Christmas, Fourth of July, even St. Paddy's Day. But my favorite day of the year? There is no competition. The arrival of the…
FMLA Insights
Is Travel Time to and from a Medical Appointment Covered by the FMLA?
By Jeff Nowak
Your employee, Thelma, has requested FMLA leave to take her mom, Louise, to regular doctor appointments. Though the appointment itself will take one hour, Thelma wants to schedule it in…
FMLA Insights
As You Prepare Payment on Those Year-End Bonuses and Wonder Whether You Pay the Guy Who Took FMLA Leave, Read This First
By Jeff Nowak
Another year in the books—hope 2025 was a big win for your team! For some, and hopefully all of you, you are ready to pay out year-end bonuses as the…
FMLA Insights
Join Me for My Annual FMLA & ADA Master Class: The 2026 Edition!
By Jeff Nowak
Today is my birthday! Yay for me! To celebrate, I am inviting you to a five-day FMLA & ADA Party! This ain't no joke. Join me for five days (13-hours!)…
FMLA Insights
Join Me for a Webinar: “It’s Not Called the Friday and Monday Leave Act! Effective Ways to Protect your Organization Against Misuse of FMLA and ADA Leave”
By Jeff Nowak
Join me for my annual FMLA/ADA webinar, which comes to you, as always, free of charge. This year's webinar focuses on how employers can proactively guard against misuse of FMLA…