The FMLA and PFL Knowledge Gap 2020

Employee and Manager Insights

Employees and managers are often challenged to understand the leave entitlement process and the absence resources available to them. To better understand and track the employee’s and manager’s understanding of state and federal leave programs, we conducted the second annual Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) Knowledge Gap survey.

Several new factors impacted this year’s research including working from home, and how the strain on HR departments would affect the Knowledge Gap results. This year’s research underscored a significant knowledge gap among managers that poses a compliance risk for organizations, and in some cases, can cause supervisors to be held personally liable for FMLA violations. Employers need to evaluate whether their managers are being adequately educated on these leave programs, and if not, must consider whether to take leave management out of the hands of their supervisors.

Read this report to better understand:

• The FMLA and PFL Knowledge Gap among employees and managers
• How FMLA training has influenced managers’ knowledge of federal leaves
• How employers may need to reconsider their approach to leave management
• The market opportunity for insurers to provide absence management solutions to their customers