This audio conference was recorded on Wednesday - April 22, 2009

Credits:

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification.

Description:

Managing employee leaves is probably not your favorite part of your job. And intermittent leaves? Those can really make you tear your hair out.

How do you deal with Joe, who seems to have a full-day doctor’s appointment every Friday, but only on nice days in the summer? Or Rosa, who uses just enough leave to make your life difficult but not enough to ever exhaust her allotment? Or Darius, who regularly takes off for a few days with barely a moment’s notice, leaving you with coverage problems?

It’s not just the employees that make intermittent leaves trying. The law itself is confusing and difficult to interpret, especially following the recent sweeping changes to FMLA. Many HR professionals - even very experienced ones - have difficulty figuring out how to calculate intermittent leaves in the context of FMLA’s 12-week allotment, how to decide when the 12-month calendar begins, and more.

Our expert will explain – in plain English – what the law requires, how to make the appropriate calculations, and how to nip employee abuses in the bud.

Speaker(s):

Christine Howard, Esq. is a partner in the Tampa and Atlanta offices of Fisher & Phillips, LLP. She focuses her practice on the defense of employment discrimination and harassment complaints, and wage and hour and benefits litigation. Howard has successfully handled many dispositive motions, hearings and trials on behalf of employers, and has defended numerous collective action cases filed on behalf of classes of employees alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, successfully defeating class certification in each instance. Howard conducts workplace investigations, compliance audits, and management training, and she counsels employers on the preventive measures they may take to avoid or reduce employment-related claims.

You and your colleagues will learn:

• How the recent FMLA changes affect your intermittent leave obligations
• Why you should consider a rolling calendar, and how to implement it
• When you can legally (and safely) deny an intermittent leave request
• How to best prepare for unforeseeable leaves
• The best way to investigate and discipline intermittent leave abusers - without crossing the line into harassment or retaliation
• What you can require in terms of advance notice and medical certifications from employees requesting intermittent leave
• When you can ask your workers for more detail about why they’re taking intermittent leave – and when you can’t
• When you can demand a second (or even a third) medical opinion – and who foots the bill
• How to transfer employees to different positions or change their work schedules to accommodate intermittent leaves, without disrupting your workplace or opening yourself up to liability