FMLA

so sorry u have to deal with that ^^ I think the best thing to do is to ignore it, unless it causes u to do extra work with no benefit ^^

maybe ask for them to buy u dinner to thank u for having their back ^^

How are they able to use FMLA? I thought that was when a person was going to be out for an extended period of time. Not 1 or 2 days...

My first thought was with you on it. Then after thinking about it, I was wondering the same thing as Mios3. I didn't think it could be used at random times & whenever it was convenient.

Or it could be F&ck My Life, *kitten*

What does it mean to you?

[rant] I just had a coworker call in. She is destroyed this morning after going out last night. She calls in to have me tell mngt that she is having anxiety attacks so her sick day will not count against her (she has been almost fired due to missing work, but is still here thanks to the union). Another coworker leaves whenever he gets the urge and puts it under FMLA. He referred to it as his "Golden Ticket". Another rarely works a full 80 hours and is rarely on time all thanks to FMLA.

No...not everyone is like this. Some people have legitimate reasons. These people cast doubt on legitimate claims.

What does FMLA mean to me? F*** My Life Already [/rant]

When I sprained my ankle my boss had me file under them even though P&P says my job is safe as long as I have a doctor's note and a specific amount of time between leaving and comming back. I was only out for less than a week and to return with a walking splint and sneakers which are against the dress code without a doc's note.
I wound up losing a week of pay because i wasn't allowed to use my PTO and I wasn't out long enough for them to pay me for missed time from work.
Than a month later, I wasn't able to clock in or out or access anything online to do my mangagerial work because someone messed up and thought I was supposed to be out of work for a week, when I had already missed my week.

In a nutshell, I will NEVER go near them again. if I break my ankle, you can bet your boots, I won't call out ever again. :grumble:

Sounds like the FMLA is not being managed appropriately!

FMLA is designed for a documented serious health condition of yourself or a dependent (keeping the explanation simple here). A person can only get up to 12 weeks of FMLA job protection which does NOT have to be consecutive. So an hour here or there can be counted towards the 12 weeks.

Again, the serious health condition needs to be document which usually involves the employer having the employee take a form to their doctor for documenting things like: Will this person require a leave of absence? Will the peron require intermittent time off work? Etc, etc.

For someone to just call into work and say it's FMLA leave, it sounds to me like it's poor management. Of coarse, if the one individual has documented that they truly do have "anxiety attacks" then they do get a free pass so to speak. However, it is limited to 12 weeks worth of time and it is ultimately up to the employer to manage it.

FMLA can be taken on an intermittent basis as well as an extended period of time. I currently have intermittent FMLA because I have Menieres disease. It is a federal law that you must follow as an employer. There doctor has to sign off on this so if they are having panic attacks then assume that they are having panic attacks. If you have never had a panic attack then I wouldn't judge someone who does. Drinking alcohol can bring this on and maybe this person doesn't realize it. Don't be so quick to judge because something could happen to you someday. Depression, anxiety, cancer, etc. What you put out into the world always comes back to you, so be careful what you say about others.

I agree with you in that anything can happen to anyone of us at anytime that may put us in a position to use this FMLA. I also feel though that in this case from the information given that the employee needs to stop abusing the system and stop drinking if this is causing him/her to have anxiety attacks. I would think the Dr. Who made the diagnosis would have given information on how to manage this and maybe even perscribed meds if it was serious enough.

Wow. That sucks. I live in Louisiana, which is one of only two "right to work" states. Sounds like a positive thing from the title, but what it really means is that unions have absolutely no power. An employer can let someone go without a stated reason. Those people wouldn't have survived here.

Actually there are 22 right to work states.

I was on intermittent FMLA for a while. I have Lupus, and had a subsequent kidney issue that I needed to be on Chemo for. As much as I tried to make it into work every day, there were some where I literally didn't have the strength to pick up the phone to call my boss and just couldn't. I know have it worked out with my boss and HR that I can leave whenever I want to use FMLA because my mom is terminally ill and is on the other side of the country, so if I need to hop a plane and get out there, I can. I have truly learned to appreciate such benefits as FMLA, and it pisses me off to know that people abuse it!

Wow. That sucks. I live in Louisiana, which is one of only two "right to work" states. Sounds like a positive thing from the title, but what it really means is that unions have absolutely no power. An employer can let someone go without a stated reason. Those people wouldn't have survived here.

Actually there are 22 right to work states.

Florida is one of them. As a medical pro, I have completed many a FMLA forms for individuals. I am very strict in completing them however as I know people abuse the system. I have people come in for High blood pressure and request FMLA, and I won't do it. Same with Diabetes. Now if the same person also has a history of a heart attack, I will consider it based on what type of job they do as that is also important. A truck driver, yes. An office worker, maybe not based on whether they are fatigued a lot or not. Cancer patients currently on chemo or receiving treatment is a no-brainer and pregnant women are always going to be approved. I am very skeptical with the anxiety patients and send them to their psych doctor for approval.

I have had some very interesting requests for FMLA paperwork. An individual who says he has to use marijuana on a regular basis and sometimes he is too sleepy to go to work. The person who says she is allergic to peanuts. And yes, the chronic masturbator...true story. He had to leave work regularly to relieve himself as he was a sex addict. I really wanted to give him approval to see how his employer would react to it.