- Key insight: Learn why proactive leave criteria should supplant ad-hoc approvals in leave management.
- Expert quote: "Stop chasing every leave; set clear, consistent criteria," advises Rachel Shaw.
- Supporting data: Leaves of absence rose 30%; mental-health leave surged 300% (2019–2024).
Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
As employees increasingly take leave, proactive planning can
Employees are utilizing leave policies more than ever, and for a wider variety of health reasons: Leaves of absence increased 30% between 2019 and 2024 and
Coupled with the continued push to return to office, the use of protected leave like the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and job accommodation requests will continue to grow, said Rachel Shaw, a veteran leader in the FMLA and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) space, author and president of Shaw HR Consulting.
"As people are being brought back into the physical workplace and losing some of that flexibility, we're seeing leave just explode. It's expensive, it impacts your customer experience, and it impacts your employee experience," she said.
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A blend of criteria and culture
Shaw's main piece of advice is to "stop chasing every leave." A reactive approach to leave management creates inequality and opens companies up for liability, she said. Instead, HR and benefit leaders should establish criteria based on what's required as well as what is reasonable, creating a consistent process for both short-term and long-term leave programming. This removes guesswork for HR, establishes structure for managers, and ensures employees aren't treated differently when a leave need arises, Shaw added.
"We encourage HR professionals to own their power and, with their leadership's permission, create some strategy," she said. "For example, you know you're not firing anyone when they have FML. That's easy, right? But even for people who don't qualify for FML, or they've exhausted it, there's a level of leave that every organization knows. If there is medical documentation, and unless they think there's fraud, you know you're approving it. The interactive process looks like calling the employee, calling the supervisor, sending a letter — that is it. That is the only activity happening because any other activity is a waste of time. It creates frustration, fear, and it's never good for an organization."
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If, based on criteria, a leave request may not get approved, then a full-blown interactive process should take place, Shaw explained. But in a case where an employee needs extra time off to recover from reconstructive surgery following FMLA leave for cancer treatment, Shaw shared as an example, it's something HR can say is an automatic yes because, "that is our culture, but it's also our programming — it's the criteria we've created."
Shaw notes that some companies will be more accommodating with their individual leave process than others, but the impact of an employee-first policy has a blanket positive impact. "If my average employment life cycle is 20 years, then I need to understand that unless someone's had habitual leave use, my culture is I got your back," Shaw said.
"Employers need to be very honest about what kind of relationship they're trying to grow with their employees, and if you don't care about the longevity of your employees, you're going to have a much lower criteria point … but you're going to be fair," she said. "But if you are an employer who has a reputation in the industry for caring about your employees and being culture-focused, then you better have criteria that says … we're here for you, and if you need a little extra time, we got you because we want you back. Employers need to set their criteria based on what culture they're trying to grow or project into the universe, and it's fair if they have different projections."
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HR and benefit leaders can team up with experts to help them navigate the evolving leave space and establish what's right for their organization, Shaw said. Leave is an area that, done well, can boost retention, loyalty and satisfaction across an entire workforce. A disjointed or unfair approach, on the other hand, can be devastating, she added.
"What I always tell clients is, you get the employees you deserve. When you bring an employee into the interactive process and you make them feel like you might say no to their leave, but you end up saying yes, or you make them feel like we're going to say yes, but it's a burden, that relationship is forever [changed]," she said. "[But if HR] meets with [an employee] and says, 'I want you to know first and foremost, we got you. I cannot imagine how difficult this has been for you' … Imagine that conversation and how [that employee is] going to feel."
