Let’s face it. Managing employee leave isn’t the most glamorous aspect of HR or workforce management. But it’s certainly among the most challenging. The legal and regulatory backdrop to leave management is complex, and it varies based on factors that range from where you do business to the size of your company. You feel as if the rules are ever-changing. It’s like doing business in an amusement park fun house; it’s a challenge to keep your footing, hard to know if what you’re seeing is real, and difficult to get a firm hold on the rail to help lead you through the maze.
Are You Keeping Pace with Developments in Leave Management?
Get the Latest News in Employee Absence & People Data Management
The summer edition of the [Optis Insight](http://www.optis.com/resources/newsletter) newsletter is out! Get the full scoop on what's happening at Optis and in leave and absence management. Inside you'll find details on:
• Best practices in employee accommodation management
• New leave laws effective this month
• Optis' latest solution, Claim View
Recent Updates in FMLA Legislation
*This week’s blog post is brought to you by Optis’ Business Development Analyst, [David Spring](https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspringoptis).*
If you manage FMLA leave, you’ve most likely heard the recent news that the Department of Labor's (DOL) Final Rule on the definition of spouse has been temporarily stayed in four states. The [final rule](http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/spouse/) was issued February 25, 2015 by the DOL and aimed to increase the consistency across the United States in how the FMLA is provided to same-sex spouses.
Podcast: FMLA, Workers’ Compensation & Disability Update Q&A
A few weeks back, Optis sponsored the [Blogging4Jobs](http://www.blogging4jobs.com) Triple Threat Webinar discussing updates in FMLA, Workers’ Compensation and Disability. It was extremely popular and our panelists, Eric B. Meyer, Casey Sipe and Jessica Miller-Merrell received over 70 questions from webinar attendees. They have continued the conversation answering a number of the webinar questions on this special episode of the Blogging4Jobs Workology Podcast. Click [here](http://www.blogging4jobs.com/podcast/fmla-ada-workers-compensation/#JBEzi6GMXlw3GHJ3.97) to listen.
Get Ahead of the Curve Before It’s Too Late
*This week’s blog post is brought to you by Optis’ National Sales Representative, [Scott Lenox]( https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=10504852&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=WasF&locale=en_US&trk=tyah2&trkInfo=idx%3A1-1-1%2CtarId%3A1424361257209%2Ctas%3AScott+Lenox)*.
*“The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates*
Routine is comfortable. It’s something that is humanly planted deep within our beings that the majority of us strive to create and to achieve. It’s the building of a process around our actions.
Solving the Puzzle of Leave Management
We all know that absences cost your company money and that compliance is HR’s No. 1 leave management concern.
Yet an Optis survey of HR professionals found that almost 90 percent of their departments are tracking leave manually or in systems not designed for leave tracking, and are covering absences ineffectively.
Keep it Simple: Lessons from Moneyball
*This week's post is brought to you by [Jim Bryant](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jim-bryant/8/454/893)*.
Many of you may have seen the movie [Moneyball](http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/moneyball/) released in 2011 starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. The subject of the movie being a former player and now the Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Staying Focused on Absence Management and Return to Work
*This week’s post is brought to you by Optis’ National Sales Representative, [Scott Lenox](https://www.linkedin.com/reg/join?trk=login_reg_redirect&session_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fprofile%2Fview%3Fid%3D10504852%26authToken%3DWasF%26authType%3DNAME_SEARCH%26trk%3Dnmp_rec_act_profile_photo).*
*“Where attention goes, energy flows and results show.” -T.
Managing FMLA and Employee Leave in California? Here’s What You Need to Know
Take a look at the diverse landscape of less-noticed leave with our new [eBook](http://optis.com/thought-leadership-download?nid=279), or start a free trial of [LeaveXpert](https://www.leavexpert.com/) today.
Knowing What's Next in the ADA Interactive Process
This week’s post is brought to you by Optis’ Business Development Analyst, [David Spring](http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspringoptis).
In a previous [blog](http://www.optis.com/blog/top-10-challenges-managing-employee-accommodations) we shared that training supervisors to identify and work through accommodation requests and the interactive process is one of the top challenges in managing employee accommodations. The interactive process refers to making communication a priority throughout the entire accommodations process, from request to implementation.