The Office of Human Resources issued new guidelines on teleworking and other considerations on Friday evening as federal agencies work to implement their re-entry and post-re-entry plans due earlier this week.
OPM issued guidance to supplement a memo it issued last month with the Office of Management and Budget and General Services Administration. Monday was the deadline for agencies to submit their plans for the office to OMB. “The schedules vary from agency to agency based on the unique mission and organizational considerations of each organization,” an OMB official told government officials earlier this week.
“As in [June guidance]Where appropriate, agencies can effectively and efficiently use human resources policies such as teleworking and teleworking as strategic management tools to attract, retain and engage talent to advance the agencies’ missions, including in the context of nationwide changes in jobs due to the pandemic and in response to long-term ones Personnel trends, ”wrote Kiran Ahuja, OPM director, in the 38-page document Published Friday.
“Since agencies take into account personnel policy and the associated flexibilities in their work environment after reintegration, informed through consultations with the agency management, superiors, employees and employee representatives, we urgently recommend that travel agencies and personnel departments work together on the establishment of teleworking and remote working guidelines, which can differ affect location-based compensation entitlements and travel benefits, ”she said.
The guidelines state that agencies should start reassessing their teleworking policies based on the experience of the last 15 months and “reorganizing them to best meet mission requirements (including the agency’s ability to recruit qualified candidates competing and retaining talent). ”Also,“ Managers may see benefits in order fulfillment, productivity, or employee engagement by adding flexibility around teleworking and alternate work schedules ”.
The guidelines also include considerations for working remotely, where an employee is not expected to come to work after each pay period. For both teleworking and teleworking, OPM provided answers to frequently asked questions about eligibility, on-site pay, flexible working hours, evacuation allowances and collective bargaining related to return to work.
The spread of the Delta variant and coronavirus reinfections have sparked questions and concerns nationwide about reopenings and mask instructions. Executives at the National Treasury Employees Union and the American Federation of Government Employees are concerned about the proliferation of the Delta variant and how it could affect return to work plans, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not yet issued updated guidelines for vaccinated individuals, and it is unclear whether this will be the case. The process of returning to the office for federal employees, many of whom were able to telework full-time during the pandemic, has been discussed and criticized over a year and reflects what many other sectors are facing.
When asked for updates on the plans and / or planning changes due to the proliferation of the Delta variant, which the CDC says accounts for more than 83% of cases in the US, a senior civil servant told government officials on Thursday, “Agencies are working on re-entry plans , but we have nothing new to share right now. We will continue to follow science, listen to doctors, and adhere to CDC guidelines. “
Republicans in the spring pressed the Biden administration Getting federal officials back into office quickly, particularly those of the Social Security Administration and the National Archives and Records Administration. Also last month, Rep Jody Hice, R-Ga., Republican chief on the Government Operations Committee of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, asked the inspectors general at 10 of the largest agencies examine the productivity of federal employees while teleworking during the pandemic “before” [the agencies begin] plunge into daring reforms. “
Federal news network reported on Friday that the Ministry of Agriculture is aiming for some employees to return to work on October 1 and that the Ministry of Labor will reopen in a gradual process on September 7 at the earliest. Some agency workers have been going back into offices for a while, but it is unclear how many have.
