Initiation of Family Medical Leave (FMLA)
In many organizations employees report to their manager that they need time off from work and little if any information is shared as to the reason for the time off. The manager may be inquisitive but in many instances the questions concern when the employee will return. The manager generally has little to no knowledge of FMLA and may or may not have Human Resource assistance readily available. We continue to see situations where an employee, eligible for FMLA and absent due to a qualifying reason, has been off for a lengthy period and only then does senior management /…
Defining Management Expectations
Individual applies for a job based on a job description that defines work tasks and skills, individual is hired, new hire orientation occurs including a whirlwind overview of the company and a quick review of a 100 + page employee handbook. They start work. Several months (or in some cases years) the manager reports that the individual is not doing what the manager “expects” (examples: attendance, cellphone usage, responding to customer calls, timeliness for meetings, helping co-workers, Internet usage, professionalism, etc.). Occasionally, the issue has been addressed with the employee and the employee simply is unwilling to alter the behavior. …
