Leave rights under Connecticut’s sweeping Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) take effect on January 1, 2022. Affecting every employer in Connecticut, this law will give employees of even the smallest of employers the right to be off the job for 12 or 14 weeks-with pay and reinstatement rights. For employers, it is time to begin taking the steps necessary to be ready for this groundbreaking law.
To assist our clients, we are offering a five program Paid FMLA Compliance Series to address the Connecticut law and its federal counterpart. Each topic in the series is of Need-to-Know importance. In each, we will explain the law, the practical issues, and the action steps that must be taken for compliance.
Our first program on November 3rd and November 10th - Paid FMLA, The Basics and Beyond, is divided into two offerings. The Nov. 3rd session is a beyond-the-basics for employers with 50 or more employees who have attended our FMLA basics program in the past. The other session, on Nov. 10th, is for employers with fewer than 50 employees who have not had to comply with the FMLA in the past or those unfamiliar with the PFMLA law.
Each session will provide an overview of the PFMLA law, but for larger employers we will discuss the relationship between the state and federal FMLA laws. In both, we will provide an up-to-date report on the state agencies’ readiness for January 1st and will learn firsthand of the state’s plans to issue regulations and FMLA forms.
Guest Speaker: Attorney Heidi Lane, the Director of the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Legal Division.
In our second session, On November 17th, Write Your Company Policy, you will learn the 7 elements of every leave policy and the policy decisions you should consider making before the new law takes full effect. You will also learn of the other policies impacted by the law such as vacation pay, PTO, short term disability coverage and group health coverage. We will also discuss the options available to employers in the selection of the 12-month measurement period and the pros and cons of each of those options and the method being used by the Paid Leave Authority. We will also discuss the when and how of delivering your policy and delivery and proof of receipt.
FMLA Deadlines, Forms, Notices and Postings, on November 30th, will be our third session. We will explain the FMLA administration--the forms, notices, and postings you’ll need to put to work. We will explain your obligations in getting and providing information to your workforce, the requirements for your handbook, website, workplace postings, offer letters and your FMLA designations (both oral and written). We will chart the FMLA steps and deadlines. This session will also include a review of the lawsuits resulting from faulty notices, missteps and misunderstandings that have brought employers to the courtroom.
Our fourth session, December 17th, will be on Getting Paid-Keeping Benefits. Recognizing that employers will be placed in the middle between the leave Authority and the employee on issues of an employee getting paid while on leave, this session will focus on pay and benefits. In the session’s first half, you will hear from Andrea Barton Reeves, the Authority’s Executive Director or her designate, on what you may expect to hear from the Authority concerning your employee’s application for pay. In the second half, we will look at the problems concerning continuing your employee’s group health coverage as well as the matters of your short term disability plan, bonuses, workers’ compensation, and PTO. We will also address the employee who does not return from leave or who remains on leave beyond the allotted 12 or 14 weeks.
Finally, recognizing that many, if not most, FMLA problems involve managers and supervisors, the final session, on December 14th, FMLA Training for Managers and Supervisors, will explain to managers and supervisors the current leave laws as a foundation and then turn to the PFMLA law itself. The managers/supervisors will learn the rules concerning new hires, intermittent leave, certifications of medical conditions and the importance of working with Human Resources (if available) in leave matters. They will learn the important roles they play in preventing (or creating) legal liability for your organization. Each attendee will be given a worksheet with 10 FMLA problems which they will complete before the program, and which will be discussed at the conclusion. The managers/supervisors will have a clear and frank discussion concerning lawsuits based on management FMLA interference and retaliation and the steps they should and should not take and things they should not say when dealing with an employee-leave issue. Intermittent leave will be explained. We will also address the related issues of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Workers’ Compensation. We will review the worksheets as a concluding element.
Q & A’s during the sessions
For each of the programs, the seminar attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions via e-mail before or during the webinar and those questions and answers will be distributed to all in attendance for that session. In addition, the attendee will receive a copy of the presentation in which the attendee has enrolled.
To Register, visit our Seminars page.