Joan Gale Published in Gender, Race and Ethnicity in the Workplace book series

Joan Gale has authored a chapter entitled, “The Family and Medical Leave Act: Lots in Translation,” in the recently published three-volume Praeger Perspectives set, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Workplace. Edited by Professor Margaret Foegen Karsten of the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, the collection presents the latest research from the fields of management, sociology, psychology, law, and public policy to shed new light on the dynamics of gender and race/ethnicity in the workplace.

Joan’s chapter, included in Volume 2, explains the origin and goals of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), which is enforced and interpreted by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). She provides a detailed overview of findings from surveys that were conducted by the federal government, in 1995 and 2000, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), in 1993, to determine the impact of the FMLA on private sector employers and employees. The latter part of the chapter addresses suggested revisions to the DOL regulations.

In conclusion, Joan notes that “In many ways, it (the FMLA) works very well, and most employees who take advantage of its provisions do so legitimately and as Congress intended. To address instances where employees have used (and abused) the FMLA in ways never intended, additional safeguards should be built into the regulations so employers can make sure that leave being taken is in accordance with the law. Only then will the FMLA truly accomplish its stated purpose of providing a balance for employees ‘in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of employers.’”