The already-begun and ongoing retirement of the so-called "Baby Boomer" generation already has many employers worried concerning the size and effectiveness of the workforce, and appropriate use of the Family Medical Leave Act is essential to ensure that the United States still has a large and energetic pool of workers available for employers (Brown 2005; Holmes 2008).

The most obvious constraints on employees seeking leave under the Family Medical Leave Act are the qualifications for taking a leave under the Act. The birth or adoption of a child is a rather straightforward scenario, and bears little comment here. Defining the seriousness of a medical condition, either in the employee or in the employee's immediate family member, is a more complex and ambiguous task, however. Only "a serious health condition that males the employee unable to perform the functions of the position of such an employee" makes someone eligible for leave...
[ View Full Essay]