Under the FMLA an employee must be restored to his or her original or equivalent position with equivalent pay, benefits and other employment terms when he or she returns from FMLA leave. This means if you were a shift manager before leaving on FMLA and were making $15 per hour, you cannot come back from leave and be demoted to an associate who makes $10. However, an employer can move a returning employee to alternative departments. The job the employee returns to does not need to be exactly the same to be covered, only similar, unless a company handbook or company employee manual provides otherwise. Read your employee manuals as a starting point and likewise contact your human resources department.