Check out the latest from the HR industry news

Here at OCI, we keep our ears to the ground on industry news, FMLA updates and the general marketplace. We came across two great HR resource articles this week that we’d like to share with our readers. The first article is from [HR.BLR.com](http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Benefits-Leave/FMLA-Leave-of-Absence/Caregivers-and-kin-studies-show-rising-numbers/), entitled, *Caregivers and Kin: Studies Show Rising Numbers*. This article references the 2012 study of caregivers conducted by the Pew Research Center, which states that 30% of United States adults help a loved one with personal needs. The article also goes on to explain guidelines surrounding kinship families (when a child is raised by a family member or close family friend) and how these family structures play out under FMLA entitlements. The second article is from [FMLA Insights](http://www.fmlainsights.com/notice/when-has-an-employee-provided-sufficient-notice-of-the-need-for-fmla-leave/), entitled *When Has an Employee Provided Sufficient Notice of the Need for FMLA Leave?* This article outlines the case of Lichtenstein vs. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and details that it’s the responsibility of the employer to ask questions, keep the communication lines open and recognize if the employee is eligible for FMLA leave. Although these two articles provide different topics of information, the message is clear. FMLA tracking is difficult. When HR Specialists manage leave tracking of a large number of employees (or even a few…) across different states with different regulations, and supervisors with different knowledge levels of leave benefits it can be especially challenging. How do you manage? Our advice is a leave management system that operates in the cloud. For more information about cloud-based leave management software, [click here](http://www.oci.com/leavexpert-leave-management-software/). Interested in our leave management survey results? Click [here](http://web.oci.com/thank-you-for-your-interest-in-our-survey/) to sign up.