How is your federal agency implementing telework?

[Anonymous]

Large agency. Zero telework whatsoever other than if the office is closed due to snow/power outage.

This was a big problem over the winter when many people were sick for weeks. People would come to work feeling sick and infecting others. Most had already taken several days of sick leave when they were really sick, but came to work when they were still slightly sick. Ugh. I just hate getting sick from others and wish they'd been allowed to telework.

[Anonymous]

Partial days of telework allowed, by telework agreement with strict work hours observed.

Ad-hoc telework for a few reasons, with supervisor approval—need to document in writing every time. The hours of telework per pay period are tracked.

Credit hours are allowed by telework, so people take leave and work the time back at home occasionally.

It’s just a ton of work for supervisors and not consistently implemented. Wish we could just go back to something more uniform—like mandatory core days/and core hours, with optional telework for the rest.

[Anonymous]

Very reasonable ad-hoc just get a verbal approval, must annotate in ATAAPS. (DoW)

[Anonymous]

5 days a year + drs appointmts + anything religious related + childcare (snow days/sick kids). Feels like about 1/2 the office has reasonable accommodations for something as well.

[Anonymous]

Daily reminder that the legislative agencies like CBO still have 2-3 days of telework

[Anonymous]

We get 2 days a pay period b/c of space limitations but anticipate that going away any day now. We're also allowed to situationally telework 3 days a month for appts but it has to be for the employee and not to pick up your parents from the airport, for example. Each request is carefully logged and sent to the headquarters.

You can also situationally telework for things that are outside of your normal work duties, but they're really strict with that. I was supposed to be off on pre-approved leave when a big meeting was scheduled. I asked to situationally telework for the hour and was told no, so I went ahead with my leave and didn't give it a second thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We can ad hoc telework but it must be for a doctors appointment, contractor in the house, etc. it’s not supposed to be very often but there are people who do it every week. It has to be approved.

Same at my office. They actually told a colleague she was teleworking for doctor appointments too often and she needed to take more leave. To echo what a previous poster said, the focus is disallowing telework rather than getting anything done. Anyway, she politely pushed back that such comment is discrimination as she had followed all procedures and I think they dropped it.

[Anonymous]

Ad-hoc situational TW

Can use telework in a non-recurring manner:

Weather or public transportation disruptions

Before or after a dr's appt for yourself or a family member

To call in for an important mtg while on vacation

While taking care of a sick kid or when you are feeling under-the-weather but can still do a few hours of work

When you need to stay home to deal with a home repair

In short, it should be non-recurring in nature. You can't TW every Tuesday because you need to take your kid to his weekly therapy appt. It needs to be one-off usage.

Managers can also now approve 90 calendar day medical telework (self) or that related to family member caregiving. Employee can only utilize one of these 90-day reprieves in a 12 month period.

Anything longer requires a Reasonable Accommodation, which have been revoked or are very difficult to get.

[Anonymous]

I am a contractor at a federal agency, and I am allowed to telework four days a week, and one day in the office. Fed people have to be in the office five days a week, and they absolutely hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ad-hoc situational TW

Can use telework in a non-recurring manner:

Weather or public transportation disruptions

Before or after a dr's appt for yourself or a family member

To call in for an important mtg while on vacation

While taking care of a sick kid or when you are feeling under-the-weather but can still do a few hours of work

When you need to stay home to deal with a home repair

In short, it should be non-recurring in nature. You can't TW every Tuesday because you need to take your kid to his weekly therapy appt. It needs to be one-off usage.

Managers can also now approve 90 calendar day medical telework (self) or that related to family member caregiving. Employee can only utilize one of these 90-day reprieves in a 12 month period.

Anything longer requires a Reasonable Accommodation, which have been revoked or are very difficult to get.

The 90 day thing is pretty decent. Is it 90 TW days or is it 90 continuous days in a TW status? If the former, you could potentially get a kid to recurring therapy appointments once or twice a week and use TW to balance that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ad-hoc situational TW

Can use telework in a non-recurring manner:

Weather or public transportation disruptions

Before or after a dr's appt for yourself or a family member

To call in for an important mtg while on vacation

While taking care of a sick kid or when you are feeling under-the-weather but can still do a few hours of work

When you need to stay home to deal with a home repair

In short, it should be non-recurring in nature. You can't TW every Tuesday because you need to take your kid to his weekly therapy appt. It needs to be one-off usage.

Managers can also now approve 90 calendar day medical telework (self) or that related to family member caregiving. Employee can only utilize one of these 90-day reprieves in a 12 month period.

Anything longer requires a Reasonable Accommodation, which have been revoked or are very difficult to get.

This seems to be discriminatory as it’s penalizing any type of medical issues that require routine, regular care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a contractor at a federal agency, and I am allowed to telework four days a week, and one day in the office. Fed people have to be in the office five days a week, and they absolutely hate it.

Yes, our contractors can do full time telework while they do essentially the same job as the federal employees.

[Anonymous]

No more than 24 hours situational telework over any 2 consecutive pay periods. No regular pattern is allowed.

So you can (theoretically) use 12 hours a pay period in perpetuity, but not if you use 3 hours every Monday and Wednesday.

Our management chain wants it used “sparingly” while other divisions encourage people to use all their hours. Interpretations of what constitutes a regular pattern also vary.

We also allow medical telework (with a doctor’s letter, 3 month increments, up to a year) but only for your own medical care.

[Anonymous]

We don't even allow full day situational telework for medical appointments, only partial days allowed. But my agency's sole mission now is strict compliance with RTO so I don't sweat taking 8hr leave for any appointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are back to precovid, 50% telework.

But can’t do three days in a row.

So, you have covid or are recovering from a GI bug you don’t want to share? Well, take a full day of sick leave. Especially annoying if you wake up sick the day after two days of telework.

A lot better than many agencies, but pre 2020 it was more come in about half the time, show up for important in person meetings and get your work done. Now it’s document the hell out of when you TW and take sick leave liberally to avoid extra TW

Uh this is so much better than what most feds have now