New Majesco Research On FMLA And Paid Family Leave Knowledge Gap Finds Declining Understanding Among Managers And Employees
Second annual study highlights the lack of understanding of federal and state leave programs among those tasked with leave administration
Majesco, a global provider of cloud insurance software solutions, today announced the release of the second annual report, 2020 The FMLA and PFL Knowledge Gap 2020: Employee and Manager Insights, based on primary research from over 1,000 U.S. managers and employees. The report examines employee’s and manager’s understanding of state and federal leave programs that defines the knowledge gap in their level of understanding of these programs.
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The results show a glaring problem when it comes to employee’s and managers’ knowledge of the Federal Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and state paid family leave (PFL) programs. A majority of employees are unaware of the leaves available to them and the reasons for which they’re eligible for those leaves. More concerning, the research found that managers are equally unaware, posing a serious compliance risk for employers who task them with a role in leave administration.
“Managers can be held personally liable for FMLA violations and based on our research, their comprehension of FMLA is all over the map, creating operational risk. This data should be a serious red flag for employers and a call to action on how to evaluate and address this within their organization,” commented Lynne Sousa, Leave Management Compliance Counsel at Majesco. “For many employers the best option may be to outsource their leave administration to an insurance company or third-party administrator who have next-generation automated absence management platforms that not only optimize the business process but ensure compliance with these laws.”
Some of the highlights of the research include:
- The FMLA Knowledge Gap™ was substantial with 87% for employees and 89% for managers, indicating fewer than 15% of employees or managers understood FMLA.
- Managers with formal FMLA training did not outperform supervisors without training, revealing a gap and need to reconsider FMLA training approach by employers. This could be due to the fact the research found that managers received FMLA training as part of more general training, rather than specific in-depth training.
- Astonishingly, the PFL Knowledge Gap™ revealed that managers (83% gap) were less knowledgeable than employees (70% gap), with only 20% of managers able to correctly identify the types of leave employees are eligible for under PFL.
Angie Brown, Absence Practice Leader, Marcy Updike, User Experience Researcher, and Sousa will be presenting the research findings in a DMEC webinar on February 24 at noon EST. You can register here and use the code ‘21CLAIMV1’ to receive complimentary registration.
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