SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog 

In an age when companies are more progressive than ever and employers are focused on keeping employees happy and healthy, employee benefits such as vacation days and paid leave are on the rise. Bloomberg reports that more than one in three U.S. employers now offers paid maternity leave beyond the amount required by law, up from one in six earlier this decade. Similarly, benefits such as paternity leave for new fathers and parental leave for new adoptive parents and same-sex couples have become more common.

Leave management is a common topic of conversation for HR professionals and employment specialists. Knowing the leave laws and the types of leave are just the tip of the iceberg in leave management. It takes a defined process to generally look at each leave request while taking each request on a case-by-case basis. Even with having a dedicated process for leaves, employers still need to remain attentive to ensure the process curtails risk and curbs potential leave abuse. Below are a few tips to help in the process. The two main federal leave laws, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are the focus of these tips. However, employers should keep in mind the other federal and state laws that may be implicated in the leave management process.

In recent years, “English-only” workplace policies have garnered increased scrutiny under employment discrimination laws on the state and national levels. Employers with these policies need to take note of recent updates to state statutes and regulations governing the lawfulness of “English-only” workplace policies and the overall broadening scope of other bases for discrimination claims.