The Challenge of FMLA in Call Centers

Many employers with customer service call center operations report high rates of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) use in those units. Few, however, have been able to identify contributing factors or develop targeted leave management strategies for this group of employees. IBI worked with the Silicon Valley Employers Forum (SVEF) to compile de-identified employee and FMLA leave data from Intuit and another employer with substantial call center operations to provide initial insights into these issues. The results from an analysis of about 20,000 employees corroborate many employers’ intuitions about FMLA use among customer service call center workers. They also shed light on what drives high rates of leave in call centers and point to potential leave management strategies. To maximize the usefulness of this report’s findings, IBI researchers consulted absence management experts from among its members for actionable recommendations. Our panel of experts included professionals from Aetna Insurance, Allergan, Aon Hewitt, Buck Consultants, CIGNA, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Mercer-Trion, Prudential Financial, Reliance Standard/Matrix Absence Management, Standard Insurance, Sedgwick Claims Management Services and Towers Watson. We then summarized their advice into a set of basic principles employers should consider when developing strategies for reducing disruptions from FMLA absences.