The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 1993
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The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) went into effect in February 1993. It concerned the employers with 50 or more employees within their organization. The Act guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected medical leave for the employees (http://hr.blr.com/HR-topics/Benefits-Leave/FMLA-Leave-of-Absence). From one angle, maternity leaves and guarantee of job availability are important especially when a large percentage of female workers are of childbearing age. However, 12 weeks of leave could put the management under strain to find a suitable replacement for an employee. This may affect productivity of the department and ultimately, the organization as a whole. This Act has also led to other issues such as employee conflict, multiple job vacancies, unnecessary lawsuits etc. The human resources should work closely with the management to implement conflict resolutions for the managers and their employees to deal with such situations. The law is sometimes complex for managers to understand and interpret therefore leading to a refusal to comply. To avoid this, the management should make sure they are familiar with the law and its jargon. They should be well updated with the current laws and any changes in the same. FMLA constitutes different entitlements such as an ailing family member, birth of a child, adoption of a new child or serious health conditions (Hofstede, G et al. 2010). This means that a company could have a number of FMLA leaves at a given point in time. The human resources management should be prepared to handle such a situation, perhaps by having an alternative course of action. Effective communication is also paramount when it comes to FMLA leaves (Burke, M. E. 2003, April). The employee should be advised to communicate early enough and give proper notice concerning this. The management, on the other hand, must comply with the requirements of the US labor laws and grant the employee’s request (http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla).