3 Benefits of FMLA Workflow Automation Tools for Busy HR Teams

Fielding leave of absence requests can be a huge administrative burden for your human resources team — especially if you’re still processing leave requests manually. Whether you’re using emails, spreadsheets, or an HRIS, traditional leave management practices can lead to unnecessary hassle and human error in the HR department.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) can be especially complex to comply with alongside your own company leave policies. Using a FMLA workflow automation tool like Pulpstream simplifies the process for employees and HR team members alike.

Here’s how to use FMLA workflow automation tools to streamline FMLA administration, improve HR compliance, and increase employee retention at your organization.

What Are FMLA Workflow Automation Tools?

FMLA workflow automation tools are software solutions designed to help you comply with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal law that applies to eligible employees in all 50 states. These employees can take up to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period for certain qualifying conditions, such as an injury or illness.

FMLA workflow automation tools can help you assess FMLA eligibility, process medical certifications, and track an employee’s time off. Leave management solutions don’t do all of the work for you, but they can reduce or eliminate time-consuming tasks such as data entry and sending out email or SMS notifications to employees.

Workflow automation is just one advantage to using absence management software. These tools can also help you store employee data securely and track attendance in real-time via user-friendly leave tracking tools and reporting dashboards.

3 Benefits of FMLA Workflow Automation Software

Why use FMLA workflow automation software if you already have processes in place? Here are three ways software solutions can improve on your existing workflows.

Faster processing times

First, workflow automation helps you process leave requests more efficiently. Instead of having to perform each step by hand and wait for responses from other team members, you can handle all of your LoA requests in a single, cloud-based platform.

With Pulpstream, you can pre-fill forms to avoid data entry errors, and use a rule engine to automatically assess eligibility for FMLA and other types of leave. Leave automation can turn an 8-hour process into an efficient 15-minute workflow.

Improved compliance

Next, leave management software helps you ensure compliance with state and federal leave laws. From honoring your employees’ leave entitlements to maintaining a paper trail, leave administration platforms protect you from HR issues and legal liability.

In addition to ensuring compliance with your obligations as an employer, FMLA tracking software can also help you identify cases of FMLA abuse or fraud by employees.

Better employee experience

Finally, workflow automation software provides a modern employee experience — the kind that employees have come to expect from any organization. Since most workflow automation tools are cloud-based, you can move your paperwork online, switching to digital FMLA forms and sending updates via email and SMS notifications.

Plus, when you use a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform like Pulpstream, you can provide an employee self-service portal they can use to access their account online.

How to Make the Most of Leave Management Software

Leave management software offers many benefits for HR teams, but you’ll need to use it at the right parts of the employee lifecycle to have the biggest impact. Here are three opportunities to implement FMLA workflow automation tools at your organization.

During the onboarding process

The onboarding process is a great time to introduce new hires to your leave of absence policies and their rights and obligations as an employee. This includes informing them about their FMLA leave entitlements and the best way to submit an LoA request.

Although employees aren’t eligible for FMLA until they’ve worked at least 12 months for their employer, you can explain the process now to save time and effort later. This way, employees will be able to give you advance notice of their intent to take leave.

With a self-service portal

A self-service portal allows your employees to take charge of their own leave request by submitting their FMLA forms and supporting documents online. They can log in to view the status of their request and see their remaining FMLA leave entitlements.

Using FMLA workflow automation doesn’t mean your HR team will never have to step in, but you can use Pulpstream’s case management tools to resolve complex cases.

When tracking employee attendance

What makes FMLA administration so complicated is that eligibility can vary depending on the number of hours an employee has worked for you. Plus, you may need to track intermittent FMLA leave in increments as small as 15 minutes or an hour.

By integrating your leave management tools with an employee attendance tracker, you can track leave more efficiently and avoid administrative errors.

Is Workflow Automation Just for FMLA Leave?

Workflow automation has particular use cases for managing FMLA leave, but that isn’t the only type of leave you can use it for. HR automation platforms like Pulpstream can also help you manage the following types of leave.

ADA Leave

The Americans with Disabilities Act may require you to provide leave as a reasonable accommodation for employees with a physical or mental disability. You’ll need to go through the ADA interactive process to find a suitable accommodation.

If you offer leave as an ADA accommodation, Pulpstream can help you manage ADA leave and the return to work process alongside your other leave programs.

Paid Family Leave

Some states have leave laws that go above and beyond FMLA, such as Paid Family and Medical Leave in Massachusetts. This may overlap with FMLA-qualifying leave, such as parental leave or military caregiver leave, depending on the situation.

If you need to comply with multiple leave laws, leave management tools can help you keep track of them all and manage state and federal leave laws simultaneously.

Personal Leave

In addition to mandatory leave, your company may have a personal leave policy that provides voluntary leave, such as paid parental leave or a sabbatical. Although your team has more discretion in approving or denying this type of leave, it’s important to follow the guidelines in your employee handbook and treat all employees fairly.

Pulpstream’s LoA tools help you enforce your personal leave and attendance policies, covering sick leave, vacation time, paid time off (PTO), and any other absences.

Streamline Employee Leave Management With Pulpstream

Complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act requires more than a FMLA eligibility checklist — although that’s a good place to start. You’ll also need a system for verifying an employee’s reason for leave, storing their medical certifications (if applicable), and tracking their continuous or intermittent leave period.

If you’re still using spreadsheets and shared calendars to manage FMLA leave, it’s time to transform your HR processes into a modern FMLA workflow.

Pulpstream’s workflow automation tools do just that, streamlining key steps in the LoA management process. From automatically assessing eligibility, to keeping employees informed with email or SMS notifications, Pulpstream takes the most time-consuming work out of the process and allows your HR team to focus on more complex cases.

Workflow automation tools like Pulpstream save you time and money, and improve the employee experience with user-friendly features like a self-service portal.

Get a demo today to see how Pulpstream can transform your FMLA workflows!