This week the HumanResourcesJournal.com published an interesting article for those applying for or currently using time from the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You should be aware that some companies are taking measures to combat excessive employee absenteeism and to ensure that employees are not abusing FMLA leave.
The article gave the case of a 20-year manufacturing employee who had had been approved for FMLA leave on 5 occasions from 2004 to 2007 to take care of his mother. But in 2006, the company implemented a new plan for handling medical-leave requests that involved private investigators conduct surveillance on employees with unexcused absences or those who were thought to be exploiting medical leave.
Through their investigation, a sign-out sheet showed the man had not taken his mother out of the nursing home on other occasions of FMLA leave, although he claimed he was the only one who could drive his mother, but that others had signed her out. He was eventually fired for policy violation.