Family Medical Leave Act - Essay Example

Abuse of Family Medical Leave Act has in turn resulted to morale problems in work places particularly among employees who are called to pick up the tasks of the absent employees. Negative effects of Family Medical Leave Act on employers Workplaces are significant places to study how institutions shape the way Family Medical Leave Act operates in practice (Galinski et al, 2005). Family Medical Leave Act is cited as an external factor that affects employee availability in any organization. Though the Family Medical Leave Act’s aim is upbeat and constructive for most occasions, many organizations’ management trust that it presents an employee with a chance to stay out of their places of work if they have low interest in the job (Burtless, 1995).

According to a research done on 36 organizations, it was apparent that Family Medical Leave Act affects employee availability. Ten of the organizations expressed extreme concern with the Family Medical Leave Act impacts, terming the act a nightmare (Galinsky et al. 2005). Needless to say, this act does not permit managers to punish the employees through relegations or corrective actions. Organizations account that the players have leant how to play the game well. Most of the organizations have claimed that employee unions coach their members to file under Family Medical Leave Act when taking leave to shun nonattendances that may amount to termination of employment or demotion (Burtless, 1995).

Most organizations have no dilemma with the act’s stipulations for workers to be given leave to attend to ill relative or a new born child, or to recuperate from a verifiably somber health condition. The primary point of disputation is with the Family Medical Leave Act stipulation that allows workers to be granted irregular leave due to severe illness. The aggravation comes from attempting to apprehend the delineation of severe health condition. Burtless (1995) denotes that it is challenging to verify the effects of particular illnesses such as headaches, gout, aggravation and soft tissue injuries.

For this reason, most of the doctors do not decline signing the Family Medical Leave paper for fear of being sued by the worker. In reference to the United States Labor Department, a severe illness refers to a health condition or injury that involves inpatient medical attention or ongoing medical treatment (Irwin & Ralph, 1993). Most of the employers find it challenging in determining a qualifying serious health problem for the worker or worker’s next of kin. Some of the illnesses are difficult to track, and employers must resolve whether to award Family Medical Leave Act’s benefits to workers who report the inception of signs.

Though, in some occasions employees abuse Family Medical Leave Act’s benefits, the employer may face federal investigations for failing to grant the worker leave (Armour, 2005). Research has shown that Family Medical Leave Act affects business performance and productivity (Burtless, 1995). Most of the employees take leave and thus lead to low labor input that in turn leads to declined productivity. Employers find it challenging in tracking worker’s leave period while getting Family Medical Leave Act’s benefits.

Arguably, if the worker takes scheduled leave under the act, there is no minimum leave period needed, thus making it challenging to follow