Work can get in the way of life when someone is seriously ill or a child joins the family. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act has helped millions of employees since it was initiated in 1993. It gives people the comfort of knowing that they can take a leave of absence for up to twelve weeks during a qualifying event. The employer's role in this is to process the paperwork, confirm that the reason for the leave qualifies as FMLA, then help the employee transition back to work.