Family Medical Leave

Family Medical Leave

Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid family/medical leave and return to the same or a comparable position, if you meet the eligibility requirements below.

  • FMLA Eligibility Requirements

    You are eligible if:

    • You've worked for Publicis for at least 12 months. (The 12-month threshold includes periods of paid and unpaid leave, such as sick leave or vacation, during which you receive benefits or compensation. If you're rehired, employment periods before a break in service of seven years or more don't count toward the 12-month requirement.)

    • You've worked at least 1,250 hours within the last 12-month period for Publicis. (Only actual hours worked count toward the 1,250-hour threshold.)

    • You work at a workplace with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius.

    Publicis measures the 12-month period in which you may take 12 weeks of leave as a "rolling" 12-month period dating back from the time you request leave.

  • Reasons For Leave

    • Birth or placement of a child. The birth of your son or daughter, or their placement with you for adoption or foster care, so you can care for the child. Complete this leave within 12 months of the birth, adoption or placement. If you and your spouse both work for Publicis, you can take a combined total of 12 weeks for this reason in any 12-month period. 

    • A family member's serious health condition. Affecting your spouse, son, daughter, parent ("covered relation"), or domestic partner (as qualified by the company's affidavit*). 

    • Your own serious health condition. A condition that leaves you unable to perform an essential function of your position. 

    • A family member's serious injury or illness in the line of duty, incurred while on active duty in the Armed Forces, if it may leave them medically unfit to perform the duties of their office, grade, rank, or rating. This is known as Military Caregiver Leave.** 

    • A qualifying military exigency. A non-medical need arising because a covered family member is on active duty or on call to active duty. Eight types qualify: 

      • Short-notice deployment: leave to address an issue arising from an impending call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation seven days or less before deployment.

      • Military events and related activities: leave to attend a military ceremony, program or event related to the active duty or call to active duty, or certain family support or assistance programs and informational briefings.

      • Child care and school activities: leave to arrange or provide for child care or school-related activities.

      • Financial and legal arrangements: leave to make or update financial or legal arrangements.

      • Counseling: leave to attend counseling (by someone other than a health care provider) related to the active duty or call to active duty.

      • Rest and recuperation: up to five days to spend time with a covered military member on short-term rest and recuperation leave during deployment.

      • Post-deployment activities: leave to attend arrival ceremonies (including funeral or memorial services), reintegration briefings and events, and other official military ceremonies or programs, for 90 days after active duty status ends.

      • Additional activities: leave to address other events arising from military duty, as agreed between you and Publicis.

  • Military Caregiver Leave

    • You can take up to 26 work weeks of Military Caregiver Leave in a single 12-month period to care for a covered service member. 

    • If you also take other FMLA leave during that period, your combined total (Military Caregiver Leave plus other FMLA leave) can't exceed 26 work weeks. 

    • The 12-month period begins on your first day of leave. 

    • “Next of kin” means the covered service member's nearest blood relative, other than their spouse, parent, son or daughter. Unless the service member has specifically designated another blood relative in writing, priority order is: 

      • Blood relatives granted legal custody of the service member by court decree or statute

      • Brothers and sisters

      • Grandparents

      • Aunts and uncles

      • First cousins

    To learn more about filing a claim with AbsenceOne, visit the Disability page.

Find instructions on how to file a claim by viewing the 'How to File a Claim' section on the Disability page.

Additional Documents & Resources:

* Publicis must have completed a domestic partner affidavit or will need to complete one if none is on file.

** Military Caregiver Leave is available to a wide range of family members — spouses, children, parents and those “next of kin” of the covered service member. The term “next of kin” only applies to Military Caregiver Leave. It means the nearest blood relative of the service member, expanding the definition to include siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins.