There's an app for calculating certain FMLA leave
Fisher & Phillips LLP has developed a Smartphone and Tablet app that allows employers to calculate certain FMLA leaves of absence. The Beta FMLA Leave Calculator app will allow human resource professionals and other managers to calculate basic leave requests and determine how much FMLA leave an employee has available. This Beta version of the iPhone and Android app was introduced this week during the SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition in Chicago.
Fisher & Phillips Chairman and Managing Partner Roger Quillen said: "The FMLA is a complicated law and FMLA leave calculations can be challenging for employers. Our attorneys frequently field questions about calculating FMLA leave. This new app is a free tool we're providing to anyone to help them with basic FMLA leave requests. The Beta version covers requests for leave for employees working a standard 40-hour work week. The next version will cover more complicated situations such as employees working reduced work weeks."
Quillen added that the firm is eager to receive feedback from industry professionals who test the new app. The app will provide an easy way for users to call or email the firm with comments and suggestions.
How the app works
The app offers a user-friendly interface and works very simply utilizing the rolling 12-month method measured backwards from the date of any FMLA leave.
- Enter the number of FMLA leave days the employee is requesting.
- Enter the number of days of FMLA leave the employee has already used.
- Enter the start date of the requested leave.
- Indicate the days of the week the employee works.
- Click "Calculate Now!"
The app then reports:
- Number of days of FMLA leave available.
- When the employee should return to work based on the new leave request.
- How much leave the employee has remaining after the current leave request is completed; if leave has been exhausted at the time of this request, it will indicate such.
The HR professional or other manager using the app can then email the information directly to the employee who requested the leave. Of course, further documentation to the employee should be provided as required by the FMLA.
How to get the app
The Fisher & Phillips FMLA Leave app can be downloaded at www.laborlawyers.com/FMLALeaveApp.