Retailers should note that the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (“DOL”) has just released a new Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) poster and The Employer’s Guide to The Family and Medical Leave Act (“Guide”).

New FMLA Poster

The FMLA requires covered employers to display a copy of the General FMLA Notice prominently in a conspicuous place. The new poster is more reader-friendly and better organized than the previous one. The font is larger and the poster contains a QR code that will connect the reader directly to the DOL homepage. According to the DOL, however, the February 2013 version of the FMLA poster can continue to be used to fulfill the FMLA’s posting requirement.

The Employer’s Guide to The Family and Medical Leave Act

According to the DOL, the Guide is intended to provide employers with “essential information about the FMLA, including information about employers’ obligations under the law and the options available to employers in administering leave under the FMLA.” The Guide reviews issues in chronological order, beginning with a discussion of whether an employer is covered under the FMLA, all the way through an employee’s return to work after taking FMLA leave. The Guide includes helpful “Did You Know?” sections that shed light on some of the lesser-known provisions of the FMLA. The Guide also includes hyperlinks to the DOL website and visual aids to improve the reader’s experience. Overall the Guide helps navigating the complex FMLA process; however, it does not provide any guidance beyond the existing regulations.

Marc-Joseph Gansah is co-author of this article.