Leave of Absence Specialist

Serves as subject matter expert on existing/proposed changes in all regulations; interprets guidelines and makes recommendations for system changes to ensure compliance with regulations.
Maintains, drafts and/or recommends revisions to company leave policies to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Assures processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) are in place to capture and maintain consistent and accurate processes for leave related items.
Evaluate organization’s impact throughout the lifecycle of each leave.
Manages and provides direction on denied leaves, noncompliant leaves of absence, or employees who conclude leave and do not return to work. Coordinate with leader and/or team member on next steps
Implement process improvements to resolve inefficiencies and address identified pain points.
Assist in identifying, evaluating and implementing change for areas of opportunity, inefficiencies or identified pain points as it relates to LOA and disability processes.
Responds to escalated inquiries into the Employee Contact Center and HR Operations that requires additional support/research.
Maintains employee Leave of Absence (LOA) details, related systems, tracks data and reports on LOA metrics.
Analyze data and provide summary of observations related to leave of absence management- making uses, including identifying trends and/or gaps in the data.
Maintains reasonable communication with employees on leave to facilitate smooth and timely work transitions as it relates to leave relays communication between employees and their managers during leave in instances of complex leave requirements or escalations.
Support ongoing education system wide for both employees and managers in regard to leaves of absence processes.
Communicate and participates with employees and managers of employees going on leave to discuss the leave of absence process and specific leave questions.
Partner with Payroll and Workforce Management to develop and improve upon processes that ensure employees are paid properly while on a leave of absence.
Lead a cross functional workgroup that allows for collaboration between Human Resources, Payroll and Workforce Management to enhance the system programming, employee/manager experience, etc.
Work is typically performed in an office environment. Accountable for satisfying all job specific obligations and complying with all organization policies and procedures. The specific statements in this profile are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements considered necessary to successfully perform the job.
Highly Preferred Skills:
Thorough knowledge of FMLA and related legislation.
Solid computer skills utilizing Excel, Word, Power Point, etc.
Excellent written communication, oral communication, analytical, problem solving and interpersonal skills.
Must be able to appropriately communicate with all levels of employee and management.
Ability and willingness to train other team members.
Ability to identify, assess, and resolve complex issues/problems.

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