Family and Medical Leave Act

There is several legislation or policies that directly affect the wellbeing of a family. They include policies like; the work policy, child and family policy, family public policy in the US, child protection law and policy of Australia, one child policy in China, fertility and population size policies in Israel, and the national family promotion and protection policy.  In addition to the guidelines, several families’ acts across the world also affect families’ wellbeing. They include; the family law in Germany, the family register act in Japan, the law of succession, and the Family and Medical Leave Act in the US (United States Department of Labour, 2020). This paper focuses on the Family and Medical Leave Act in the US.

Discussion

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides that eligible employees are entitled to unpaid and job-protected leave on justifiable family and medical grounds. During the break, the terms and conditions of employment are not expected to change. The employee on unpaid leave continues to enjoy all work benefits, including job protection and health insurance coverage. Upon completing the break, the employee takes back similar or equivalent tasks with similar terms and conditions.  The objective of the Family and Medical Leave Act is to provide guidelines for employers to assure employees time and resources to handle family health and emergency needs.  FMLA’s primary goal is to help employees balance family and job duties, allowing them reasonable unpaid leave for medical and family reasons. The Act seeks to promote equity in the workplace and accommodate employers’ legitimate interests at the same time (United States Department of Labour, 2020).

Currently, the law provides that an employee is entitled to two kinds of leaves in the US. The first leave is a 12 working weeks of leave annually in cases where there is a; newborn in the family or newly placed child, family member with a health condition which needs care and attention, health condition making an employee be unfit to be in the work environment or need to recover from home of hospital.  The second leave is a 26 working weeks annually granted where an employee is seriously ill or the employee is a service member caregiver (United States Department of Labour, 2020).

Since the enactment of the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, studies indicate that several families have benefitted from the Act’s provisions. The impact can be felt across sectors and regions. Studies suggest that female employees have become more composed at work since this Act helps them achieve economic and social empowerment. Through the Act, families are guaranteed quality health care through the insurance covers. Families are guaranteed social protections; employees can be allowed at any time to attend to health or emergency issues, either personal or family-related, without victimization. The Act has enhanced job security, as it provides that the employees on unpaid leave are assured of their jobs upon completion of the leave. Through the Act, families have to worry less about the newborn in the family. The mother is entitled to have an opportunity to attend to the young ones without victimization. This enhances the newborn safety and enhances social development in the child as the child is able to both more with the mother (The National Partnership for Women & Families, 2016).

As far as policy and regulations are concerned, the Act has provided uniform social conditions at work. It has provided clear guidelines on how, when, and to whom to give unpaid leave. It has also provided the terms and conditions of the leave as well as the legal route to take in the event of an act or treatment contrary to the provisions of the Act. This has made legislation on health and social issues more comfortable and effective (The National Partnership for Women & Families, 2016). The Family and Medical Leave Act operates in line with the Child Protection Theory of Change that advocates for protection and care of children to ensure they grow in safe and conducive social environment (World Vision International, 2014). The Act ensures the mother is available for the child an early age when the child needs the mother most. This is a guarantee of social security.

Summary and Conclusion

The Family and Medical Leave Act is critical legislation when it comes to the wellbeing of families. If properly adopted, families are guaranteed economic and social protection. It also provides employers with a structured approach to handle unpaid leave as well as help legislatures and arbitrators in case of disputes related to family and medical leaves. FMLA’s primary goal is to help employees balance family and job duties, allowing them a realistic unpaid leave for medical and family reasons. FMLA seeks to promote equity in the workplace among female and male employees while accommodating employers’ legitimate interests at the same time. Since its inception, several families have benefitted on the provisions of the Act, characterized by improved job satisfaction across both male and female employees. 

References

The National Partnership for Women & Families (2016). Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act. Washington, DC: The National Partnership for Women and Families.

United States Department of Labour (2020). Family and Medical Leave Act. San Francisco: United States Department of Labour.

World Vision International (2014). Child Protection Theory of Change . World Vision International.