The Essential Guide to Family & Medical Leave

chapter 9 | managing an employee’s leave | 197
Managing Intermittent Leave
Intermittent or reduced-schedule leave poses some unique managerial
challenges. You and the employee might not know how long the employee’s
need for leave will last, when the employee will have to take time off, or even
whether the employee will show up for work the next day. The can present
some challenges when you’re trying to make sure that the work gets done.
Scheduling
Employees who need intermittent or reduced-schedule leave must try to
schedule leave in a way that does not disrupt your company’s operations. If
the employee knows he or she will need intermittent or reduced-schedule
leave, the employee should give you a proposed schedule of leave and try to
arrange to take time off in a way that accommodates the company’s needs.
Of course, this will be easier when the employee needs leave for treatment
rather than for episodic flare-ups of a serious health condition.
This doesn’t mean that the company has the right to veto an employee’s
leave schedule, however. The employee’s health care provider will ultimately
decide whether treatment or leave can be rescheduled or not. If the health
care provider won’t approve a change, you may not insist on it.
Example: Marcos needs weekly physical therapy for neck injuries from a car accident.
Marcos tells you that he needs to be out for two hours every week for at least
twelve weeks. You and Marcos agree that he will try to schedule the therapy for the
late afternoon, when plenty of his coworkers will be available to handle his workload.
When Marcos calls to schedule his treatment, he learns that there are no available
late afternoon slots for a couple of months. Marcos’s doctor says that he must begin
physical therapy immediately or risk permanent damage. In this situation, can you
insist that Marcos wait for an afternoon appointment?
No. Marcos’s doctor has the last word, and treatment must start immediately. You
should work with Marcos to figure out which of the available time slots would be
least disruptive for the company.