• The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, or FMLA, allows up to 12 weeks off of work for eligible employees for certain family and medical reasons, such as the birth of a child. Leaves also may be allowed for situations surrounding a spouse or family member's military leave. Employers who are covered by the act are required to indefinitely display an FMLA poster designed and distributed by the Department of Labor. The poster notifies employees of their rights under FMLA and how to file a claim.
  
  

Eligible Companies

• Companies who employ 50 or more employees are required to offer FMLA benefits to eligible employees. The companies' employees do not have to be working at the same facility, but must regularly work or be based within 75 miles of one another.
  
  

Eligible Employees

• In order to be considered eligible for leave under the FMLA, an employee much have been on the company's payroll for at least 12 months, not necessarily consecutive. In addition, he or she must have worked at least 1,250 hours for the organization during the past year.
  
  

Poster Location

• The Department of Labor's poster, which can be downloaded from its website, educates employees and potential employees about their rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act. It also instructs eligible employees on how to file a claim. Because of the importance of this information, the poster must be on constant display by every eligible employer. It must be hung in an easy-to-find location for both current employees and for applicants for employment. The poster must be hung at all facilities of a covered employer, even if there are no employees eligible for FMLA working there. Most employers hang the poster in a break room, time-clock area, or other frequently visited common area.