White House Instructs Agencies to Begin Process of Returning Some Employees to Their Offices Government Executive, Apr 21, 2020
Federal agencies should begin considering ways to bring employees back to their offices, according to new Trump administration guidance, though the White House left much of the decision making to individual leaders based on local conditions.
The new guidance, released jointly by the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget, seeks to align federal agencies with guidance the White House unveiled last week for states to use when assessing how and when to reopen businesses and other entities in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Agencies will therefore follow state mandates and maintain significant discretion on when to take a variety of steps. Much of the memorandum spelled out policies that agencies could or may take, without prescribing specific timelines or actions.
“Given the diversity of federal workforce missions, geographic locations and the needs of individuals within the workforce itself, this transition will require continued diligence and flexibility from federal agencies and the federal workforce,†OMB and OPM said.
For now, agencies should continue deploying maximum telework. They should then move toward lifting mandatory telework in low-risk geographic areas while still allowing additional telework flexibilities as needed, especially for those employees with child care needs. Finally, agencies should lift “maximum†telework at all locations before settling into normal, “optimized†operations. The administration encouraged “creative solutions,†such as creating rotational cohorts in which employees come into the office for five days per month.
More:
https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/04/white-house-instructs-agencies-begin-process-returning-some-employees-their-offices/164757/
