My first article in a series called The Balancing Act was released today over at Librarian Lifestyle. This introduction to the world of FMLA and work leave policies is pretty general but should give y’all an idea of what the following articles will include. It was inspired by my own experience applying for FMLA protection and tenure extension related to a medical crisis of my mother’s.

In researching what to do, which in turn led to a literature review, I found it was difficult to locate hard and fast advice about the federal process or the internal policies. It seems like the majority of claims made in this nature are related to maternity leave, so that is what the research addresses. But as our parents age and as we age (or the unexpected happens), I think it important to know how to translate the legalese and not be intimidated by ‘no one here has ever done that before’. If you are interested in contributing to this article series, as a professional or from personal experience, please contact me at msthomas [at] samford [dot] edu.