Subject: Federal Government Operating Status in the Washington, DC, Area Beginning March 16, 2020
This OCHCO Bulletin is issued by the Worklife and Benefits Service to provide information on the “Federal Government’s Operating Status in the Washington, DC, Area” beginning Monday, March 16, 2020.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has determined that “Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN WITH MAXIMUM TELEWORK FLEXIBILITIES TO ALL CURRENT TELEWORK ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES, PURSUANT TO DIRECTION FROM AGENCY HEADS.” Please contact your supervisor to confirm telework schedule and to receive further direction.
Emergency and telework-ready employees required to work must follow their agency’s policies. Employees who are not currently telework-ready but whose position may be leveraged to telework should discuss the possibility of telework with their supervisors.
If you are not telework eligible or do not have access to telework equipment, please contact your supervisor to discuss next steps. For those employees whose position is not telework suitable, weather and safety leave may be appropriate, pending supervisory approval. Employees are subject to recall based on workload and staffing needs.
Please refer to OMB Guidance M-20-15 for full details. AGENCIES remain OPEN to serve the American people and conduct mission critical functions. Operating status updates will be issued based on OPM announcements.
Required Action: Approving Officials for time and attendance must ensure that all ad hoc and situational telework is recorded in the time and attendance system for telework-ready employees who perform unscheduled telework. Unscheduled telework performed related to COVID-19 must use the ad hoc telework code of “TS – Other 1 (Reserve Use for OHRM Notice)”
We appreciate your dedication to our nations Veterans through this rapidly evolving situation.
Issued by: Worklife and Benefits Service
Please note, it is up to local facilities to determine whether or not telework is applicable for their staff.
Please review attachments below (2):
Memorandum – Coronavirus COVID-19 Guidance for Telework, Scheduling and Duty Location