HR and People Ops pros are no strangers to the concept of “doing it all.” You’re the wearers of all the hats, the dousers of all the flames, the waders through all the crud that always tends to fall at your feet somehow.
But when evaluating all the tasks your team tends to, there’s one tumultuous to-do that both taxes your time and may be putting your organization at serious risk: Leave of absence management.
More specifically the varying, expanding, and wonderfully complicated laws that pertain to an employer’s responsibility when administering leaves of absence for their employees.
Leave of Absence Laws and Compliance
DYK: There are over 400 state leave laws, and only about 10% of them cover family and medical leave reasons.
That’s a whole lot of law. And while it would be unreasonable to expect HR and People Ops teams to be experts in all of the laws and recite them by memory, it’s important to be prepared to understand exactly what mechanisms are at play for any potential leave scenario so that you can help ensure your organization acts accordingly and in accordance with the law.
Being compliant when administering leaves of absence is a big deal. Getting it wrong may mean:
- Lawsuits
- Legal penalties
- Increased turnover
- Regulatory Scrutiny
- Reputational damage
- Difficulty attracting talent
- Reduced employee morale
- Reduced employee productivity
As alluded to earlier, the laws aren’t just numerous, they’re also always subject to change (Tilt tip: bookmark this page for the latest leave law changes). You’d have a better time keeping up with the Kardashians than keeping track of the ins and outs of leave laws across the country to such an extent you’d feel comfortable applying them at your organization with confidence.
Fortunately, the title of this blog isn’t titled. “Leave of Absence Laws are Impossible to Adhere to So Good Luck Not Getting Sued!” So let’s get into the reasons why relying on leave law experts is in your organization’s best interest and what to look for when searching for leave law support.
Benefits of Relying on Leave Law Expertise
Trusting your leave of absence management to the experts can help ensure your leaves are administered fairly, consistently, and in accordance with the latest leave laws no matter the state and no matter the type of leave.
Buyer beware, not all dedicated leave management solutions are created equal when it comes to leave law expertise, so it’s important to evaluate their chops and consider the following:
Expertise and Specialization: We’ll get the obvious one out of the way, but outsourcing your leaves of absence to professionals with specialized knowledge of leave of absence laws ensures that your organization remains compliant with relevant regulations, reducing the risk of legal issues or penalties related to non-compliance. Not only should they know all the laws as they stand today, but they should stay up-to-date with any changes should they occur.
Efficiency and Productivity: Leave of absence journeys can be complex and time-consuming, especially when following the letter of the law is of utmost importance. Outsourcing the legal leave law lift allows your team to focus on core business objectives, increasing overall departmental efficiency and productivity.
Reduced Administrative Burden: Handling leave of absence requests, especially when dealing with multiple employees and various laws, can be the administrative equivalent of moving a refrigerator on your back while juggling flaming bowling pins (Tilt’s legal team has asked we specify that Tilt does not endorse doing either of those activities). Outsourcing your leave management alleviates these burdens while ensuring compliance with the law.
Scalability: Mo’ leaves, mo problems. If you’re managing leaves in-house that is. If you’re outsourcing your leaves of absence to the right leave law experts, however, your employees should be supported with compliance risk mitigated even if your leave requests see a spike for whatever reason. And the reasons why your employees might need to request a leave of absence are only growing.
Timeliness: Time is of the essence when it comes to leave of absence management and adhering to the law. Outsourcing your leave of absence management to the experts helps ensure your employees receive timely responses to leave-law-related questions and your organization remains compliant by supporting employees in a timely manner as potentially required by law.
Picking the Right Leave of Absence Management Solution
Buyer beware, not all dedicated leave management solutions are created equal when it comes to leave law expertise, so it’s important to evaluate their chops and consider the following:
Do your research: Start by researching the vendor’s background, history, and experience in the field of leave management. Look for customer reviews, testimonials, and case studies to gauge their reputation and track record.
At Tilt, our in-house team of leave law experts is comprised of Employment Attorneys, FMLA Specialists, and Payroll Specialists. We live and breathe all things leave, and compliance is woven into everything we provide HR teams.
Confirm what leave types they support: If your leave management solution doesn’t support all types of leave, then you run the risk of not being consistently compliant when supporting your employee population. Different leave types require adhering to different laws and regulations, so make sure the solution you select manages all leave types and provides expert leave law support across the board.
Tilt’s solution provides HR and People Ops teams with a holistic leave of absence management experience for all leave types. That includes leave law expertise for even the most obscure leave scenarios that would otherwise send your existing processes sideways.
Reporting and Documentation: A major part of keeping you compliant is ensuring that you’re documenting and able to report on what’s required of you. An expert leave of absence vendor should provide clear and comprehensive records of your employee leave requests, approvals, and denials to demonstrate adherence to legal requirements.
At Tilt, leave law compliance is in our platform’s DNA. From being SOC 2 compliant, to data encryption, to providing a safe and secure repository for all sensitive information, our platform makes documentation and reporting a breeze. Take a look around for yourself.
Leaving Leave Laws to the Experts
The legal risks associated with leave of absence management are as plentiful as the laws themselves. Finding the right dedicated solution to alleviate your leave management burdens requires a level of leave law expertise that keeps you compliant, at scale, for all leave types.
By relying on leave law experts like Tilt you can ensure your employees will be supported no matter the leave scenario while freeing up your team to focus on the bigger picture at hand. You can avoid costly legal fees, reduce employee turnover, and keep your organization’s reputation tip-top without having to lift a finger.
About Tilt
Tilt is leading the charge in all things leave of absence management through easy-to-use tech and human touch. Since 2017, our proprietary platform and Empathy Warriors have been helping customers make leave not suck by eliminating administrative burdens, keeping companies compliant, and providing a truly positive and supportive leave of absence experience for their people.
