Family medical leave violations are common among employers because they do not believe that employees know their rights. Employees may have taken appropriate leave to deal with a serious medical condition and returned to work with disabilities that an employer must account for. Some employees have problems with companies that try to force them to return to work early. Employees are permitted up to 12 weeks of medical leave a year under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and should not be forced to return early if their employer holds their job over their head.