How brief a time increment must we use when granting FMLA intermittent leave?

Q. An employee has requested one hour of unpaid intermittent FMLA leave. Can we require him to use up a half or full day of leave instead?

A. No. You must permit the employee to take intermittent FMLA leave in the requested one-hour increment. Eligible employees may take FMLA leave in increments as small as the employer’s payroll system will capture, provided the minimum increment is not greater than one hour.

Moreover, an employer may not use an increment greater than the shortest period of time used for other forms of leave. For example, if you account for sick leave in 30-minute increments, but vacation in one-hour increments, you must account FMLA leave in, at a maximum, 30-minute increments.