Employment Firm Sets Up Website to Help with FMLA Changes

It’s still January, and already 2009 seems on-schedule to be the biggest year ever for changes in labor & employment law.  And as employment laws get re-written, employers must do some writing, too – their handbooks, policies, procedures and forms will all need updating, new posters will have to be hung, and somewhere among all the paper revisions, HR professionals have to learn what the changes actually mean for their businesses.

Responding to the first round of big changes this year, Chicago-based Labor and Employment Firm Franczek Radelet & Rose has set up a website dedicated exclusively to the the sweeping FMLA regulations that went into effect January 16th.

FMLAregs.com links to a section of the firm’s website that will serve as “a portal for employers seeking guidance and solutions regarding the new FMLA regulations,” according to the firm.  The new section includes an executive summary of the recent changes, discussion of the DOL’s new forms, and an implementation “to do” list for businesses.  Visitors can also view a webinar led by firm attorneys, and download copies of the materials and the Q&A session that followed.

“The new FMLA regulations require employers to significantly change the manner in which they administer FMLA leave,” said Jeff Nowak, a partner with the firm.  “Although employers now are able to obtain more detailed and timely information from employees about the need for FMLA leave, they also take on a greater responsibility to notify employees of their rights under the Act. 

“The website is meant to provide employers the information they need to get a running start in updating their FMLA policies, procedures and forms.”

And a little information could go a long way.  For example, Nowak said, while employers have more rights to verification info under the new regs, “the ‘model’ Department of Labor FMLA forms simply do not capture all the information to which employers are entitled.”  So using the DOL’s stock forms will result in employers getting less information than they could otherwise. 

“We strongly encourage employers to work closely with their employment attorneys to develop forms, policies and procedures that fully take advantage of their new rights under the revised rules and also fully comply with the rules,” Nowak said.  ”Even a single complaint of an FMLA violation can result in thousands of dollars in legal expenses, so a small investment in this area will prove worthwhile, even in this cost-conscious economy.”

Plus, given that employers are probably going to have to deal with new versions of both the FMLA and ADA, changes to discrimination and fair pay laws, new executive compensation and disclosure rules, and state, federal and supreme court decisions altering the landscape of WARN Act, Title VII and Wage Payment litigation, a one-stop shop for FMLA information may be enough to keep HR Execs sane, at least until EFCA gets going.