Client Overview

This for-profit organization operates across multiple locations in Northwestern Ohio and employs between 100–150 team members. With HR leadership focused on strengthening policy knowledge among supervisors, the company partnered with WorkSpring to build a stronger foundation in compliance training.

The Challenge

With a mix of new and experienced supervisors, the company saw a critical need to increase awareness and consistency in how Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requests are handled.

Key challenges included:

• A lack of standardized FMLA training for managers
• Confusion around what qualifies as a leave request
• Gaps in understanding of confidentiality and compliance responsibilities
• Risk of non-compliance with FMLA timing and documentation requirements

The HR team recognized that supervisors are often the first point of contact for employees navigating health-related absences—and wanted to ensure they were equipped with the right knowledge, tools, and communication protocols.

Our Solution

WorkSpring developed and delivered a high-level compliance training focused on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) tailored to this company’s policies and frontline realities.

Training content included:

• Core FMLA laws and timelines
• Real-world examples of how leave requests may be communicated
• Clear guidance on a supervisor’s role and responsibilities
• Reinforcement of confidentiality expectations
• Internal communication protocols for escalating leave-related conversations

The training incorporated organization-specific policies and procedures, ensuring relevance and immediate application.

Highlights

• Company-specific scenarios helped supervisors recognize leave triggers even when employees didn’t use formal language
• Role clarity: supervisors learned importance of timely and consistent escalation to HR
• Delivered tools and processes supervisors can reference and use as a team

The Results

• Supervisors now have a unified understanding of how to identify, respond to, and escalate potential leave requests
• Improved internal communication across leadership and HR
• Greater consistency and reduced liability in leave-related interactions
• Company has built a repeatable foundation to train future supervisors

Why It Matters

Supervisors are often the gateway to compliance—or liability—when it comes to employee leave. Equipping them with the knowledge to spot, understand, and escalate potential FMLA requests helps protect both the employee’s rights and the organization’s interests.

Effective training ensures that every conversation starts on the right foot—confidentially, compassionately, and in accordance with the appropriate organizational guidelines.

Need to Align Your Leaders on FMLA or Compliance Protocols?

WorkSpring’s custom training solutions equip your teams with practical tools to lead with confidence, clarity, and care. Contact us at: workspring.org/training/contact-us