Labor Dept. orders Lenovo to pay employee $108,152 for violating family leave act

MORRISVILLE – An employee at Lenovo has been paid $108,152 by the global tech conglomerate after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor into violations of the Familiy and Medical Leave Act.

The settlement was ordered after a probe found that Lenovo “failed to reinstate an eligible employee upon return from FMLA leave to the same or equivalent position the worker held prior to the leave, as the law requires. Instead, the employer offered the employee an opportunity to apply for other company positions. After Lenovo failed to hire the worker for any of the alternative positions, the employer terminated the employee.”

The employee was not identified.

The Labor Department disclosed the settlement on Friday. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division investigated the case.

“The Family and Medical Leave Act provides employees with workplace flexibility when they need it the most by protecting them when they have a serious health condition requiring the need to care for themselves or family members,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Richard Blaylock, in Raleigh. “The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employees’ rights under the FMLA are protected. We encourage employers to review the numerous tools and resources we provide to help them understand their rights and obligations under this law.”

Lenovo maintains two headquaters, one in Morrisville and the other in Beijing.

The company employs several thousand workers in North Carolina, including operations at the headquarters campus and its data center group in RTP.