Feds: OPM policy on childcare and dependent care during work hours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi! OP here. For what it's worth, I have four kids under the age of 10. They go to full time summer camp and they go to after care in the school year. Our telework forms used to say the language about childcare and dependent care. Unlike other agencies, we are required to be in the office 3x a week. I have an employee who does not have childcare. I told her she had six weeks to get a childcare for the days she is in the office. We do not offer remote or telework because of childcare. This is not a case of someone who doesn't have childcare in a one off situation, like a center that is closed or someone's kid is sick. This is someone who didn't get childcare because she didn't want to incur the cost and doesn't want to send her child to day care or hire a nanny or sitter. I tried to be flexible with the employee and I have addressed it with her re: her performance. Whose smart idea was it to not require childcare? This is a liability to the agency. All summer we've had people bringing in their school aged kids or preschoolers as a substitute for child care.

I don't make the rules and I would approve people for a fully remote position, but our leadership will not allow it so a lot of people are leaving. I had talked to this employee months ago about child care, but now it is just defying not coming in the office and/or bringing in her child and distracting other colleagues (child is an infant). I have other team members who live where there is a child care shortage in staffing but we have onsite, subsidized child care with available spots.

I work for a fed agency and I have never seen someone bring their young child into the office. Your office kisy sounds like a lot of dysfunction.

Talk to HR to figure out your policy.

[Anonymous]

Subsidized child care is a farce for the feds.

[Anonymous]

Hard to believe you manage other employees yet aren’t capable of finding an OPM document (or someone who knows where to find it) and are asking an Internet forum for help.

[Anonymous]

You need to talk to HR before doing this, but I believe that if she shows up at the office with a kid you can send her home and charge her leave. There are other reasons you can send someone home (e.g., inappropriate dress) so I would think this qualifies. Might be tricky if the practice has become common, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why? are you trying to rat someone out?

If they are, good. No more free rides without childcare. You needed it in office and you need it now. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Subsidized child care is a farce for the feds.

I want to know what federal agency has on-site child care with multiple available spaces. Because every single one we looked at had long wait lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since you’ve now claimed to be a supervisor, why didn’t you direct your question to HR?

Right. Between HR and your general counsel, you should have figured this out.

[Anonymous]

I am glad to not be in this shit anymore.

[Anonymous]

My kids were home sick from camp on Tues. We had a meeting 10-noon that I couldn’t miss. My husband had them during that time (in another room) but our apartment is small and I know how that goes. I just said at the start “sorry if we get interrupted. My kids are home sick and I didn’t want to make you reschedule.” It was fine, we had our meeting, and I took the rest of the day off. There are plenty of days also that I let my almost 11 year old stay home. She is really good at self entertaining for a day here and there (though doesn’t do well more than a day or two in a row.).

[Anonymous]

What agency allows you to bring kids into the office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Subsidized child care is a farce for the feds.

I want to know what federal agency has on-site child care with multiple available spaces. Because every single one we looked at had long wait lists.

Exactly this

Whole thing feels like a troll with this fed agency office that's full of young kids coming into the workplace?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi Feds! Where can I find OPM's policy on childcare and dependent care during work hours? I thought the Administration had ended the pandemic flexibilities.

I'm going to report you for using non-sanctioned resources for your compliance work, instead of going through proper channels.

[Anonymous]

OP is a troll. And a bad one at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So now we see who the people that are cheating the system are. Ladies, we can hear your babies crying and kids whining in the background. I get that it's summer and I had my kids home for a week earlier this summer, but during the school year you have NO excuses. Nope, we know your kid is home full time and not "home sick". You can only get away with that excuse so many times before someone figures it out.

What a weird way to think. You were obviously raised wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So now we see who the people that are cheating the system are. Ladies, we can hear your babies crying and kids whining in the background. I get that it's summer and I had my kids home for a week earlier this summer, but during the school year you have NO excuses. Nope, we know your kid is home full time and not "home sick". You can only get away with that excuse so many times before someone figures it out.

You must be a troll and a bad one at that.

No, I'm not a troll. I do the right thing and I PAY FOR CHILDCARE. It's total bullshit the number of people I work with who are working full time but I can hear or see their toddlers and babies on calls every single day. I KNOW they don't have childcare and I KNOW it's distracting them and affecting the quality of their work. It's not fair to the rest of us who have to pick up their slack.