Essay on Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

The Family and Medical Leave Act enables line managers to give employees unpaid leave that is reasonable for reasons related to their families or medication. Employees can take unpaid leave of up to 12 weeks per year with their jobs protected.

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Additionally, this law requires that line managers should maintain employees group health benefits for the period they are on leave.

The law applies to all public agencies, both private and public elementary and secondary schools and to companies that comprise 50 or more employees.

Reasons for granting the leave include; when the employee gives birth or when an employee is placed with a child for adoption or foster care. Similarly, when one has to take care of an immediate family member who could be a child, spouse or parent who may have a serious health condition, and the employees inability to work due to some complicated health condition.

An employee will only be eligible for leave if he or she has worked for at least 12 months for the current employer, which is at least 1250 hours.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA)

The law offers protection for employee and their families

It gives employees an opportunity to participate in another group health plan if they lose other coverage or experience certain events in life such as the death of spouse, divorce or loss of employment of a spouse.

It also prohibits discrimination of employees and their dependents because of health factors such as prior medical conditions, previous claims experience, disability and genetic factors.

The act also provides special enrollment rights where an employee who previously declined health coverage gets to enroll for it. This arises due to certain life events or due to loss of eligibility for other coverage.

Consolidated Omnibus Reconciliation Act (COBRA)

This act grants workers and their families the right to continue enjoying their group health benefits from their group health plans for limited time when they lose their health benefits

Circumstances that lead to loss of these benefits include voluntary or the involuntary loss of job, divorce, death, reduced hours of work, and job transition.

The qualified individuals may need to pay the full premium for coverage for up to 102 percent of the plan cost.

This law requires that line managers provide group health plans for employees

Similarly, it stipulates that the employer sponsors the health plan and provides the employees and their families with a temporary extension of the health cover in situations when that program could otherwise end.

Diversity Management and Affirmative Action

It is common for people to use diversity management and affirmative action interchangeably. However, there exists a difference between these two terms. Affirmative action is a policy that favors individuals who tend to suffer from discrimination in the workplace. It emphasizes on the need for the employer to hire women and minority groups such as disabled persons. For example, it encompasses the third rule that dictates that a third of the companys population should be women in all aspects. On the other hand, diversity management refers to the initiatives to manage differences among employees in the organization. In this context, diversity in employees includes gender, race, nationality, religion, cultural differences, sexual orientation, age, and experience.