FMLA provides job protection for employees who need to take time off from work for a serious health issue for them or a family member, insuring these employees will be able to keep their jobs despite the time off. However, managing an employee's FMLA (or other) leave, especially when it's not taken in a solid chunk of time but is intermittent or involves a reduced schedule, can be a nightmare for HR. Navigating the guidelines around this law can be challenging to say the least, and instances of abuse of protected leave are not uncommon.

Once an employee has provided medical certification for leave from their doctor, the employer must approve the leave. However, the employer can also establish policies to track scheduled time off or intermittent leave. And employers can also temporarily reassign an employee who is taking scheduled time off, as long as the reassignment doesn't discourage an employee from taking leave and has equivalent pay and benefits.

Most employees will not abuse their intermittent leave, but abuse of intermittent leave is the hardest to uncover. Employers can take steps to reduce the chances of abuse by establishing call-in policies, tracking time off, and requiring re-certification when that comes due. Find out more about the challenges facing HR with FMLA intermittent leave, and how to go about managing these challenges while complying with the law.

Join us for a webinar with Todd Ewan, a partner with Fisher Phillips LLP's labor and employment practice group. who will share the ins and outs of managing intermittent and reduced schedule leave-and what you can legally do to put a stop to FMLA abuse.What You'll Learn:

• Work to manage an employee's leave for the least disruption to the organization-investigate whether an alternative position is an option
  
• Develop a leave of absence policy that complies with FMLA and ADA
  
• Develop practices to track and record time off to compare to the time allowed
  
• Create a call-in policy for all absences
  
• Know when you can ask for recertification or involve a doctor
  
• Train frontline management and supervisors on FMLA
  
• Lawfully use surveillance and social media to investigate suspicious intermittent leave
  
• Decide if suspicion of leave abuse may require going so far as hiring an investigator
  
• And much more!