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FMLA is the federal Family Medical Leave Act. The FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year to employees who have worked for their employer for at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months at a work location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. The leave may be used for any of the following reasons: 

• The birth and care of an employee’s newborn;
• Placement of a child for adoption or foster care with the employee;
• Care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition;
• The employee’s own serious health condition.

Many states also have family medical leave acts with greater requirements and employee protections.

Federal FMLA leave is unpaid, but several states have enacted paid family medical leave laws. Also, in many circumstances, employees can use accrued or banked paid leave that they have at the time of their leave.  This may include requirements of any applicable state or local paid leave law.

Paid sick leave is paid time off that employees can use when they are under the weather sick.  The allowance of mandatory paid sick leave is typically much shorter than a leave allowance under FMLA. The reasons that someone could take a mandatory paid sick leave vary according to what is allowed by the law, but in general paid sick leave is typically taken for a shorter period of time to address a short-term illness. 

FMLA leave is required when the employer and employee are eligible and the employee’s reason is a qualifying reason.  There is no federal mandatory paid sick leave requirement for most employees, but there are many state and local laws that require paid sick allowances.  The reasons that someone could take a mandatory paid sick leave vary according to what is allowed by the law, but in general paid sick leave is typically for a shorter period of time to address a short-term illness.  However, FMLA and paid sick leave laws are typically not mutually exclusive, meaning that an employee can exhaust both at the same time.

Employee onboarding is the process in which an organization leads a new employee through the training and legal processes required to begin their new job. This can include everything from filling out employment agreements and forms to meeting other employees in the office, and training.

Training and onboarding new employees are important to helps shape company culture, communicates operational policies, and inform employees of applicable laws and regulations. While requirements vary, certain states require that new employees be informed of their employee rights at the time of hire.

In addition to the employee handbook, required federal and state tax forms, and required federal, state, or regulatory documents, employers may want to consider requiring employees to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) prohibiting them from disclosing confidential company information. Some state laws restrict the use of NDAs.