Select an employment law in the article and briefly describe the law and why you think it is or is not a necessary protection for employees. Post a substantive response to the question (minimum 250 words)
Reply in a scholarly and substantive manner to the following two classmates.
(Jennifer)
The employment law in the article i picked is Family Leave (FMLA). FMLA stands for Family and Medical Leave Act it is for eligible employees to be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected time off. In order to be able to get FMLA you must be with the company for at least a year to be able to qualify. The employee is able to take FMLA for the following reasons: birth of a child, adoption of a child, to care for a sick child or themselves, take care of a spouse or parents for serious health condition. The FMLA is only required for companies that have over 50 or more employees. The employer is mandated to give the employee FMLA if they qualify for it regardless of operational needs. I definitely think it is a necessary protection for the employees to have. It is important for an employee to feel secure if something was to happen that they have to take an emergency leave. They should be able to leave without feeling guilty for having an emergency with their family or even their self. The employees should be protected in that aspect family and their health should always be top priority. The employers should always do everything they can to help their employees when they are going through a rough patch. Their job should be secured because many employers only think about operational needs and see it as a nuisance. They should always have a plan b in case of emergencies like that so they wont be in a predicament.
(Aaron)
The employment law that I have chosen for the discussion from the article is number four which is Family Leave. This law states that an organization that consists of at least a total of 50 or more employees and employees with a year of service must offer FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act). An employee can take up to 12 weeks off work unpaid. Also, in order to receive this time off there are certain conditions that must be met. For example, birth of a child, a parent or child with a serious health issue, or just to take care of themselves. In my opinion, this is a very necessary employment law to protect the employees and their rights to still be employed in case of an emergency. Everyone has situations that are beyond their control especially when it comes to a family member. They should at the least have the reassurance that they still have employment at that organization. I myself had a couple of situations when I was younger working at a business where I had to take a leave for less than 12 weeks that fell under one of the conditions listed in the family leave employment law. When I returned to work, I had been terminated. If I had known about the family leave law, I more than likely wouldn’t have been terminated. These same types of situations are still occurring to this day and only because a lot of employees don’t have the insight of FMLA so they are taken advantage of. This is the reason why I believe that it is necessary protection for the employee. I also think that everyone should know the employment laws.
Resource
The 10 Employment Laws Every Manager Should Know.pdf
