Is It FMLA or the "Friday-Monday Leave Act"? How To Identify And Investigate Employees Who Are Gaming The System

FMLA is a complicated law, but yet employees seem to know it pretty well... Today, the FMLA is often called "The Friday-Monday Leave Act" because employees "conveniently" get their episodic conditions, like migraine headaches, on days that run in conjunction with their off days. Hmmm... interesting, huh? 

Some of these leave cases are definitely legitimate.  However, there are a lot of them that are not--and employees are gaming the system to suit their own agendas.  And, this causes a great deal of discord with other employees, who must pull up the extra slack when the FMLA Abuser is "out again." 

Today, it is up to HR professionals to truly understand FMLA compliance, follow consistent documentation procedures, do good FML case management, and conduct internal investigations into leave abuse situations. 

In this audio program, you will learn how to identify exactly what you can do – and how to take decisive action in even the most difficult situations.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the employer obligations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• Identify the most common abuses of FMLA and why it's happening
• Recognize key aspects of the FMLA that make it easier for employers to curb abuse
• Identify strategies for identifying abuse, how to effectively document FMLA to confront abusers, and how to take effective steps managing FMLA abuse investigations
• Recognize the company policies you must have in place to effectively manage FMLA leave—and curb abuse of leave
• Determine which internal resources need to be leveraged to prevent FMLA abuse
• Acquire knowledge of how to conduct an effective investigation and how to acquire physical, documentary, and testimonial evidence
• Recognize the “flags of FMLA abuse” to help managers spot the patterns
• Determine who you need to involve in an internal investigation
• Distinguish the risks in just getting testimonial evidence to support a FMLA abuse case
• Evaluate investigative findings to prepare an investigative report that is court-ready

Who Should Attend:

• Senior HR Professionals
• HR Managers & Directors 
• HR Personnel
• Employee Relations Professionals

Natalie Ivey

Natalie Ivey, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is an HR consultant, professional speaker, author, and educator within the HR profession.  She has more than two decades of HR management experience with Fortune 500 organizations and in working as a trusted advisor and consultant to business leaders both in the U.S. and abroad.  She is the founder and CEO of Results Performance Consulting, Inc., an HR consulting practice that specializes in providing HR expertise and guidance to employers doing business in the U.S.  She also provides targeted, results-focused leadership and professional development training programs.  She routinely works with organizations to address destructive leadership behaviors and organization dysfunction.   She consults with employers and designs customized training programs to help employers correct poor behaviors, minimize legal exposure, and improve performance and profitability.

Ms. Ivey is the instructional designer/author of numerous HRCI accredited HR training programs that are marketed throughout the U.S.  and is also the author of the book:  How to Conduct Internal Investigations:  A Practical Guide for HR Professionals, which has received excellent reviews.  Her new book:  How to Keep HR from Being the Employee Complaint Department is due to be released in summer 2017.

Ms. Ivey is a dynamic and engaging speaker who is known for her sense of humor and "tell-it-like-it-is" direct approach to teaching HR education.  She is a frequent lecturer at university symposiums, is a guest speaker at SHRM conferences, and is a nationally known speaker who travels throughout the U.S. and abroad, speaking on a variety of topics to advance the HR profession.