What You Need to Know About Emergency Leave
Each and every employee is entitled to emergency leave in his/her tenure for a number of reasons. It’s the role of the employer via the Human Resource manager to offer leave to the employees. The leave could range from that of sickness, pregnancy and baby bonding among many more. There exist State and Federal laws whose main role is to ensure that matters that have to do with leave are observed in the right way. There is Family and Medical Leave Act which promotes the rights of the employees. For example, you may be given an emergency leave if you fall ill or one of your family members does. The employers must be held liable if they deny you such leave.
What the State and Federal Law Protects
If there were no laws that safeguard the rights of the employees, there is no doubt that they will all be working in a harsh environment. The employers will do whatever they want with no fear because as an employee, you will have nothing to do. One of the common mistakes that this law protects is to make sure that you are offered an emergency leave anytime there is a need. For example, the employer isn’t supposed to force you to work when you are not feeling well. In fact, you will be unproductive if he does so.
What the Family and Medical Leave Act Calls For
The FMLA law requires the employers to provide their staff who are registered with time off due to some reasons such as illness of the person or kin. During pregnancy, emergency leave must also be awarded to the person or her partner.
How Long Does the Leave Take?
In general, it will be wise to state that this leave can take as long as 12 weeks per year depending on the cause. It can be applied to the following cases:
- Employee’s Sickness
- Bonding with a child (It could be yours or adopted)
- To look after a family member who is seriously ill
- An urgent need for a person who has a family member who worked in the military. (If one of your family members once worked in the military, when there is an emergency need to look after him/her, the leave could be as long as up to 26 months)
What You Shouldn’t Forget About Emergency Leave
During your emergency leave, you should know that your health insurance still covers you. Once you are done with your FMLA leave, you should get back to your original position without demotion.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock/Olesia Bilkei