HR Generalist - Leave & Accommodations

Pico Propane•San Antonio, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Meritum Energy is a leading provider of propane, natural gas, diesel, and other mobile energy solutions throughout Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and North Carolina. Known for our unwavering commitment to safety, service excellence, and community partnership, we proudly stand by our company motto: We Sell Service. The HR Generalist - Leave & Accommodations administers employee leaves of absence, FMLA, ADA workplace accommodations, return-to-work processes, benefits, and related employee relations matters. This position supports Meritum Energy's multi-state operations and serves as the primary HR point of contact for employees and managers throughout the leave, accommodation, and benefits process, ensuring requests are handled consistently, promptly, compassionately, and in accordance with applicable laws and Company policies. The role requires strong judgment, attention to detail, confidentiality, and the ability to manage multiple cases at once. The HR Generalist will work closely with employees, managers, Safety, Payroll, and HR leadership, and will partner with our benefits broker on leave, accommodation, and day-to-day benefits matters. This role independently manages routine leave and accommodation cases and partners with the Director of HR on complex or higher-risk matters.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Management, or related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
3+ years of progressively responsible HR experience.
Hands-on experience administering employee leaves of absence and FMLA.
Working knowledge of ADA reasonable accommodations and the interactive process.
Experience administering employee benefits (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, 401(k)) and answering employee benefits questions.
Knowledge of federal and state employment laws and HR best practices.
Experience handling confidential employee and medical information.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Ability to independently manage multiple cases, deadlines, and priorities.
Strong judgment and ability to recognize when an issue should be escalated.
Proficiency with HRIS systems and Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, and Excel.

Nice To Haves

SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification.
Experience supporting a multi-state workforce.
Experience in transportation, energy, propane, oil and gas, construction, field services, or another safety-sensitive industry.
Experience supporting hourly, field-based, CDL, and safety-sensitive employees.
Experience with Paycom or a comparable HRIS/payroll platform.
Experience coordinating FMLA, ADA, workers' compensation, and return-to-work matters simultaneously.
Experience partnering with a benefits broker or third-party administrator on plan administration, renewals, and open enrollment.

Responsibilities

Manage the employee leave process from initial notification through return to work, including FMLA, medical leaves, personal leaves, parental leaves, military leave, and other Company-approved leaves.
Determine employee eligibility for FMLA and other applicable leave programs and provide required notices, forms, certifications, and communications within applicable deadlines.
Track FMLA usage, including continuous and intermittent leave, and maintain accurate leave balances and documentation.
Review medical certifications for completeness and coordinate requests for clarification or recertification when appropriate.
Monitor employees approaching the exhaustion of FMLA or other protected leave and proactively evaluate whether additional obligations, including the ADA accommodation process, may apply.
Communicate regularly with employees regarding certification deadlines, leave status, expected return-to-work dates, extensions, and outstanding documentation.
Coordinate with Payroll and Benefits when employees begin or return from leave, including PTO, unpaid leave, benefit continuation, and premium obligations.
Maintain accurate leave records, case documentation, and employee status changes in the HRIS, and monitor reports for employees approaching leave exhaustion or with outstanding documentation.
Serve as the primary HR contact for employee requests for reasonable accommodation under the ADA and applicable state or local laws.
Recognize when an employee may be requesting an accommodation, even if they do not use the words “ADA” or “reasonable accommodation.”
Initiate and manage the interactive process with employees and management.
Provide employees with appropriate accommodation documentation and obtain medical information when legally permissible and necessary to evaluate a request.
Evaluate requested accommodations with HR leadership and management, including the essential functions of the position, while keeping medical information confidential.
Document the interactive process, accommodation decisions, approved accommodations, duration, restrictions, and follow-up requirements.
Periodically review temporary or ongoing accommodations to determine whether modifications, updated medical information, or additional discussion is necessary.
Escalate complex accommodation matters, potential undue-hardship issues, or significant employment decisions to HR leadership and legal counsel when appropriate.
Coordinate employee return-to-work processes following medical or other qualifying leaves.
Review fitness-for-duty documentation and work restrictions to determine whether an employee can safely perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Partner with managers and Safety when work restrictions affect safety-sensitive duties, driving responsibilities, physical requirements, or other essential job functions.
Coordinate temporary restrictions or modified-duty arrangements when approved and appropriate.
Track restriction expiration dates and obtain updated documentation when necessary.
Communicate return-to-work status and approved restrictions to management while limiting disclosure of confidential medical information.
Provide guidance to managers regarding employee relations matters, attendance, performance concerns, policy violations, and corrective action.
Assist managers with preparing documentation, including memos of conversation, written warnings, final written warnings, performance improvement plans, and other corrective-action documents.
Ensure disciplinary documentation is supported by sufficient facts, including dates, prior coaching, and the applicable policy or expectation.
Review corrective actions for consistency, completeness, and potential employment-law concerns.
Identify when attendance or performance issues may involve an underlying medical condition, protected leave, disability, accommodation request, workers' compensation claim, or other protected activity before disciplinary action is finalized.
Escalate high-risk employee relations matters to HR leadership as appropriate.
Partner with managers on attendance concerns, helping them distinguish protected leave, approved Company leave, PTO, and unexcused absences before corrective action occurs.
Serve as a primary point of contact for employees regarding questions about the Company's health, dental, vision, life, disability, 401(k), and other Company-sponsored benefit plans.
Partner with our benefits broker on day-to-day plan administration, carrier issues, billing and eligibility discrepancies, and escalated benefits questions.
Coordinate annual open enrollment with our benefits broker, including employee communications, enrollment meetings and materials, platform setup and testing, and deadlines.
Assist employees with benefits enrollment, changes due to qualifying life events, and general plan questions throughout the year.
Coordinate COBRA notifications and continuation coverage with our benefits broker and/or COBRA administrator.
Reconcile benefit invoices, carrier eligibility files, and payroll deductions, and resolve discrepancies with the broker, carriers, and Payroll.
Assist with the annual renewal process, including gathering census data, reviewing plan documents and summary plan descriptions, and preparing employee-facing communications.
Maintain accurate benefits records and ensure benefit elections and life-event changes are reflected timely and accurately in the HRIS.
Partner with the Safety Department on employee injuries when workers' compensation, FMLA, ADA, or other leave requirements overlap.
Ensure employees with work-related injuries are evaluated consistently for applicable FMLA protections and ADA obligations.
Coordinate restrictions and return-to-work documentation with Safety and operational leadership while maintaining the confidentiality of medical information.
Assist with transitional or modified-duty coordination when applicable.
Maintain confidential medical and leave records separately from general personnel records as required.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and Company policies, including FMLA, ADA, USERRA, pregnancy-related accommodation requirements, and other applicable leave and accommodation laws.
Monitor changes in employment laws and regulations affecting leave administration and workplace accommodations.
Assist with internal audits of leave, accommodation, and employee-relations documentation.
Prepare reports regarding leave activity, accommodation requests, case volume, trends, and outstanding cases as requested by HR leadership.
Serve as a trusted HR resource for employees navigating medical, family, or other qualifying leave situations.
Provide managers with clear direction regarding what they may and may not ask employees regarding medical conditions.
Educate managers regarding FMLA, ADA, accommodations, return-to-work requirements, attendance management, confidentiality, and documentation expectations.
Communicate difficult or sensitive information professionally and respectfully.
Follow up consistently with employees and managers to ensure HR matters are resolved rather than left outstanding.