FMLA leave eligibility, requirements, and how to comply.
Learn what steps you need to take to ensure your business complies with FMLA requirements.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to unpaid, job-protected leave in specific family and medical situations. Employers must give certain notifications and maintain records to comply with FMLA. In this brief FMLA employer guide, we’ll give you an overview of how to stay compliant.
Who’s eligible for time off?
Eligible employees under FMLA can take 12 workweeks off to:
- Care for a newborn, or a newly adopted or fostered child
- Care for a seriously ill immediate family member
- Care for an injured military service member in the family
- Recover from a serious personal health condition
Employees are also entitled to leave under some more specific conditions. You can find the full details on the U.S. Department of Labor website.
What notices do I need to give?
FMLA requires all covered employers to give certain notices to employees. These include:
- A poster and a general notice that informs employees of their rights under FMLA
- An eligibility notification for the employee after an FMLA request
- A rights and responsibilities notification with each eligibility notice
- A designation notification about leave coverage under FMLA
What records should I keep?
Employers must preserve records of their obligations under FMLA for at least three years. These records should include:
- Basic employee identification information
- Pay rate and terms of compensation
- Work hours
- Total pay with any additions or deductions
- All communication and details relevant to the FMLA leave
These records don’t have to be in any specific form, but employers must make them available for inspection upon a Department of Labor request.
How can I best maintain FMLA compliance?
Digital documents and e-signatures make it easy to keep track of your records and maintain a clear paper trail for compliance checks. Acrobat Sign lets you immediately share documents with multiple recipients, request and track signatures, keep documents confidential and secure, and much more.
Discover more ways Sign can help your business comply with regulations.
