Layoffs and other times when job reinstatement according to FMLA regulations may not be necessary. Does your HR department know the limited situations under which an employer can refuse to reinstate an employee who has taken FMLA leave according to FMLA regulations? The Act's primary purpose is to ensure that employees are reinstated to the same or equivalent positions held at the commencement of the leave. Moreover, when there is a dispute, it is probably fair to say that the U.S. Department of Labor and most courts lean strongly in favor of the reinstatement of employees. Laws in this area do offer some limited circumstances in which an employer may deny job restoration to otherwise protected employees: Key employees-According to FMLA laws, an employer may deny reinstatement, but not leave, to "key employees." A key employee is a salaried employee who is compensated within the top 10 percent of the employees working within a 75-mile radius of the employee's worksite. 29 CFR ...