Cause And Effect Of Fmla

The article begins by describing why FMLA came into play. “The act was conceived and finally passed because of two overreaching concerns that began to impact corporate America directly: the increasing family needs of the American workforce along with the development of high-performance work organizations” (page 43). The author’s point of view is that the thought behind the act is noble, but those who abuse the privilege of having this safety net are ruining it for everyone else. It seems, to the writer, that the issue has to do with employees taking off an excessive amount of time for things that aren’t necessarily covered under the law. FMLA created an opportunity so that parental units didn’t have to choose work over family, or vice versa.

The article then goes into minor detail about how FMLA will be denied based on lack of advance notification, or uses fraudulent means to try and obtain a leave of absence. Next we see several examples for the purpose of the laws creation, and what type of situation that it was established for. In this case, the writer gives the details of a baby who needed constant care with oxygen and a heart monitor, and the mother was denied the leave of absence by her employer, someone who was fired because they had an ailing parent that needed their attention, and finally a woman who lost her job because she was absent due to her own chemotherapy treatments to cure her cancer. The article teeters back again to the side of dissent that there are those who believe that government should stay out of business practices. The article then veers back to the topic of FMLA abuse, and blames the employee and their healthcare providers for misinterpreting an

I chose it because I wanted to see both sides of the coin. However, I do think that the writer focuses a little too much on the possible abuse of the law, rather than highlight the benefits of it. I do agree that FMLA is an opportunity that is available to the working public if the situation should so arise that someone can legally apply for it. On the other hand, I’ve worked in a human resources office before, and I am fully aware of the bogus claims that can occur. I think the writer could’ve also provided the point of view from someone in big business, as well as someone who owns an up and coming future franchise. I believe that it would’ve been interesting to see an interview with someone on the employee side, and then someone on the employer side. It would have been nice to have gotten the point of view from real people, and not just the case studies that the original law was based upon. I don’t think that FMLA is perfect by any means. I do believe with a little restructuring and fine-tuning the rules and regulations that it will be an incredibly vital tool for those in the