measuring variables, and effectiveness.

the Q is how you plan on measuring your variables, and how you plan to measure effectiveness.

1

1.Investigator’s Name

2. Title: Project Title: The Impact of Welfare Programs on Excluded Employees from Family Friendly Workplace Act

3. Category of Research (check one):

4. Review Category Requested

5. Background and Literature Review

Leave is an important right of employees. Leave provides employees with time to solve various urgent issues. FMLA gives employees the right to access leave. FMLA enables women to obtain leave from work after giving birth. In addition, it enables women to obtain leave to take care of family members who have chronic illnesses. FMLA ensures that employees do not use the leave to discriminate the employees or fail to hire them. In addition, FMLA ensures there is a continuation of the health insurance of the individual who has taken leave from work. However, one of the major limitation of FMLA is that individuals do not receive pay when they take time off work (Murphy, 2011). This may have a negative impact on the financial stability of certain families.

The U.S. does not have any federal law on maternity leave. FMLA and Pregnancy Discrimination Act are the only laws that protect the welfare of expectant women. This is despite the fact that the laws do not deal directly with maternity. However, various states may have laws on maternity. In addition, a company may have regulations that give its employees additional benefits over and above the FMLA. FMLA protects the job of any employee who has to obtain leave due to the serious ailment or to take care of a sick family member. In addition, it protects the job of an employee who has to take leave to care for a newborn, adopted, or foster child. An employee may obtain unpaid leave from the place of work for up to 12 weeks (Repa, 2010).

An employee must meet several requirements to qualify for FMLA. The employee must have worked in the workplace for at least 12 months. In addition, the employee must have worked for at least 1,250 hours within the last 12 months. Finally, the employee must either work for the government or a private company that 50 or more employees. The acceptable number of employees of the company (50) must be within a 75 mile radius. These conditions make it easy for the employees of most permanent employees of private companies to quality for FMLA (Guerin & England, 2012).

The societal definitions of the word ‘family’ has undergone changes. Traditionally, family referred to the ‘nuclear’ family of an individual. However, the current definition of family encompasses single parents, grandparents, same-sex couples. In addition, it also includes unrelated and unmarried people who are living together and blended families. However, despite the drastic changes in the societal definitions of family, the workplace definition of the family has continued to lag behind. This may limit the ability of certain employees to obtain FMLA leave to take care of members of their families. There has been a steady increase in the number of single parent families in the U.S. rising rates of divorce is the major factor that contributes to this rise (Hankin, 2005). Therefore, it is vital for various regulations to recognize this family setup.

Single mothers face several unique challenges. They usually experience financial strains. This is usually more pronounced if the single mothers do not receive financial support from their ex-spouses. The single mothers may receive financial support from their ex-spouses in the form of child support or alimony. Failure to receive financial support increases the financial burden of the single mothers. This may necessitate them to work overtime. In addition, it may necessitate them to take a second job to supplement their income. This makes the single mothers spend less time with their families. In addition, the financial burden of the single mothers may make single parent families has less access to quality healthcare than other ‘normal’ families. FMLA does not provide paid leave. Therefore, lack of a paid leave may have devastating effects on a family where the single mother is the sole breadwinner of the family (Hankin, 2005).

Single mother are tasked with the responsibility of managing their homes and taking care of their children. It is a fact that some of the family members may help in undertaking certain tasks. However, single mothers perform the bulk of the responsibilities. This makes the single mothers to be a state of perpetual exhaustion. This may reduce the energy that single mothers have in doing other activities that enrich their lives (Walsh, 2012).

Generally, many fathers stop seeing their children regularly after a few years. The fathers may set up families with other women. This makes the children lack a positive male role model who may guide them as they undergo various stages of their lives. This may result in behavioral problems among the children. This is more pronounced if the single mothers have too much to do, therefore, making it difficult for them to instill discipline in their children. The behavioral problems may ultimately result in poor academic performance or problems with the law (Walsh, 2012). This may have a negative impact on their future wellbeing.

FMLA has several conditions that are restrict its access to single mothers. According to FMLA, employers should have a minimum of 50 employees. Therefore, it does not cover employees who work in companies that have less than 50 employees. A significant number of single mothers work in companies that have less than 50 employees. This is due to the fact that the single mothers may be forced to seek employment after breaking up with their spouses if their ex-spouses were the sole bread winners of the family. It is hard for the single mothers who are new entrants into the job market to find employment in large companies (Hankin, 2005). In addition, FMLA requires employees to have work in the company for at least 12 months to qualify. This regulation limits the coverage of single mothers who are new entrants into the job market. Various eventualities may force the single mothers who are not eligible for FMLA leave to abscond their duties. Employers may use this as a reason to fire the single mothers. This may increase the woes of the single mothers.

FMLA has several regulations that may benefit single mothers. It allows employees to take intermittent leave. The intermittent leaves allow the employees to cater for various emergencies. However, an employee must have valid reasons to request for an intermittent leave. This regulation provides time for the single mothers to cater for various urgent family matters.

6. Research Objectives

According to the FMLA, for a company to grants up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave for workers both male and females to enable them care for newborn or critically ill family members, a company must have a minimum of 50 employees who have been under employment in the company for at least 12 months. Using the legislation of the act the goal of the research is to be a guideline for employees in the middle-class and poor who need to get benefit of FMLA by welfare programs. The research will describe the challenges of many single-women whose families who cannot afford to miss 12 weeks of income. Therefore, it would determine methods through which FMLA can improve its services to serve the needs of single mothers more efficiently. In addition, the research will explain the role of welfare programs to provide the assistance for needy employees in emergency time including child care.

7. Methodology

The study will use a qualitative research method. The researchers will use structured questionnaires to determine some of the problems that single mothers face. In addition, the questionnaires will determine some of the problems that single mothers face while applying for FMLA. The study will include the facts of the Family and Medical Leave Act, role of the welfare programs and its policy in providing the assistance. The research will also include case studies show the suffering of lack of welfare programs’ role in providing the assistance. This would show the shortcomings of FMLA. This would help in determining how FMLA can improve its services to serve the needs of single mothers more efficiently.

References

Guerin, L. & England, D. (2012). The Essential Guide to Family & Medical Leave. Berkeley, CA: Nolo.

Hankin, H. (2005). The New Workforce: Five Sweeping Trends that Will Shape Your Company’s Future. NY: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn.

Murphy, T.M. (2011). The FMLA Compendium, A Comprehensive Guide for Complying with the Amended Family and Medical Leave Act – 2011- 2012. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

Repa, B.K. (2010). Your Rights in the Workplace. Berkeley, CA: Nolo.

Walsh, D.J. (2012). Employment Law for Human Resource Practice. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.