• Various laws provide employees with job-protected leave.
• Failing to provide the leave can result in expensive court rulings.

Employees are generally hired to do a job, and this usually involves the employee being at work. Life, however, often intervenes causing employees to be absent from work, also known as being on leave.

Several laws protect employee rights to be on leave for certain reasons. The federal laws that apply include:

• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA),
• The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and,
• While not specifically a leave law, leave may be a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Also not specifically a leave law, leave can be a reasonable accommodation under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

Many states also have laws that provide for employee leave. These laws might, for example, allow for sick/medical leave, family leave, or other reasons, such as voting, jury duty, victim protection, attending children’s school events, military duty, military family leave, public health emergencies, and responding to emergencies.