The Essential Guide to Family & Medical Leave

chapter 12 | record keeping requirements | 289
Common Mistakes Regarding Record Keeping
—And How to Avoid Them
Mistake 1: Losing track of the amount of FMLA-protected leave time an
employee has available.
Avoid This Mistake By:
• Keeping the payroll and leave records listed in this chapter organized and
readily accessible.
• Consulting those records whenever an employee requests FMLA leave.
• Updating the information in the records periodically (for example, at the
time of each employee’s review).
Mistake 2: Granting (or denying) an employee’s requests for intermittent
leave because you have lost track of how much leave the employee has
already taken and when.
Avoid This Mistake By:
• Keeping hourly or daily payroll and leave records for employees taking
intermittent or reduced-schedule leave, depending on how the leave time
is taken.
• Keeping an updated intermittent or reduced-schedule leave chart for
each employee taking such leave, including a running total of leave time
taken and when.
Mistake 3: Improperly disclosing confidential employee medical information.
Avoid This Mistake By:
• Keeping each employee’s medical information in a separate file (not in
the employee’s personnel or FMLA file).
• Revealing medical information only when allowed by the law.