Best Practices: FMLA Call-In Procedures
Nowadays, it’s common for businesses to have an employee absence call-in line. As a result, many employers have questions about how to handle these call-ins in FMLA situations. Are employees still required to call the designated absence reporting number when their absence is FMLA-covered?
In most cases, the answer is yes. If you have a call-in policy in your employee handbook, your employees are still required to call the absence line in the event of an FMLA-covered absence. There are, however, some circumstances in which your employee is not required to follow normal call-in procedures. If an employee’s leave is unforeseeable they are not required to notify their employer of their absence until they are able to do so based on the circumstances. For instance, if an employee had to visit the ER during their scheduled shift, they would not be required to notify the employer until their condition stabilized.
Intermittent leave can further complicate call-in procedures. It’s possible for employees to be approved for multiple types of intermittent leave. A good practice is to require employees to specify which approved intermittent leave they are using their time for. Having detailed information on your employees’ leave is always beneficial in FMLA situations.
To ensure compliance and keep your business running smoothly BASIC recommends establishing a clear and consistent call-in policy for your employees. You should make procedures easy to understand and explain exactly when a call-in is or is not necessary. BASIC’s FMLA Ease Plus and Absence Management services can automate the process for you, relieving the burden of call-in procedures. At BASIC we like to make things as easy as possible for our clients. Request a proposal today!
