Anyone know a govt employee who simply decided they won't go to the office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

So I was hired as the employee’s supervisor and yes, I had serious doubts as to whether they were teleworking during their intermittent leave since they would be away on teams and non-responsive to emails. Yes, I did follow up and am continuing to address performance and leave issues with the employee. It’s similar because it’s an entitled attitude.

If you think they aren't working when they say they are, that's a performance issue that you have the tools to address. It's nothing to do with using their parental leave intermittently, which is allowed, and nothing to do with locality pay. The OIG would not get involved.

Employees are entitled to use their leave and any permissible schedule flexibilities. Both your post and OP's are full of anger at people actually using the parental leave benefit. But parental leave is (a) not fraud or an issue of "not pulling their weight," and (b) such a tiny fraction of somebody's 30-year career. I mean really, you're mad about a mere 6 months? Maybe a year between 2 kids? That's nothing, and I say that as somebody who had kids before there was federal parental leave.

NP. Thanks to DOGE we cannot do anything about performance issues. They removed all of our performance plans. Instead you have to go after bad employees with conduct reprimands. Efficiency!

[Anonymous]

Which Center is this?

[Anonymous]

I know a Trump voter in HFP forced to buy a trailer and park it near CP until retirement. She was fraudulently claiming to live in the DC area and never came into the office the required 2 days per pay period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

So I was hired as the employee’s supervisor and yes, I had serious doubts as to whether they were teleworking during their intermittent leave since they would be away on teams and non-responsive to emails. Yes, I did follow up and am continuing to address performance and leave issues with the employee. It’s similar because it’s an entitled attitude.

I've dealt with cases like this. HR with IT's help can quickly pull telework logs and see if they match their timesheets. Everything you mentioned deserves a reprimand or a PIP, don't think it's too minor to take to HR. Don't get yourself in hot water as a supervisor by not reporting things like this. The new DOGE performance evaluations they're rolling out will have a whole critical element for supervisors about dealing with employees performance and conduct.

HR was RIFd.

[Anonymous]

I have one. It’s a conduct issue and it’s out of my hands. People really are not understanding the new reality. And, they’re nuts if they think I’m going to risk my job to let them act like this without going to HR.

[Anonymous]

It’s none of your business. I say kudos to them and more people should refuse to go to office when it reduces productivity to be in said office.

[Anonymous]

To answer OP’s title question - no. Anyone who didn’t come in would have been fired.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't appear to be so in this case but there are some other localities where the locality pay is higher than DC- Houston immediately comes to mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

You cannot collect DC locality pay unless you are in DC once a pay period. Several people at my work have been busted for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s none of your business. I say kudos to them and more people should refuse to go to office when it reduces productivity to be in said office.

Maybe not OP’s business but it’s definitely that employee’s managers’ business.

FAFO. I’m not putting my neck out another inch for people who are being babies about following the rules. Being like the rules, get a new job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s none of your business. I say kudos to them and more people should refuse to go to office when it reduces productivity to be in said office.

If a supervisor has an employee who is blatantly disregarding rules, not coming to office, living in wrong locality or not doing any work, they have to do something about it. I have seen supervisors disciplined for looking away. And it's easier to be reprimanded or fired as a supervisor because you're held to a higher standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

You cannot collect DC locality pay unless you are in DC once a pay period. Several people at my work have been busted for this.

No, your location while on leave does not affect your pay. If I take a 4 week vacation overseas, I do not lose my DC locality pay. If I spend my maternity leave at my mom's house, I am not required to tell work where I am and I certainly don't get more money if my mom lives in a HCOL area.

The person PP is complaining about is on leave. They have approval to telework for short periods, but effectively they are "home" for pay purposes while on leave. The prior boss didn't have to approve the telework, and presumably PP could disallow the telework if they chose, but it's not locality fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

You cannot collect DC locality pay unless you are in DC once a pay period. Several people at my work have been busted for this.

No, your location while on leave does not affect your pay. If I take a 4 week vacation overseas, I do not lose my DC locality pay. If I spend my maternity leave at my mom's house, I am not required to tell work where I am and I certainly don't get more money if my mom lives in a HCOL area.

The person PP is complaining about is on leave. They have approval to telework for short periods, but effectively they are "home" for pay purposes while on leave. The prior boss didn't have to approve the telework, and presumably PP could disallow the telework if they chose, but it's not locality fraud.

OK the question then is whether this person still maintains a residence in DC. If they don't have a residence in DC they are not on "vacation " in another state; they are living there. Once you live in another state and fail to report to DC once a pay period you can only collect locality pay in the new state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

You cannot collect DC locality pay unless you are in DC once a pay period. Several people at my work have been busted for this.

No, your location while on leave does not affect your pay. If I take a 4 week vacation overseas, I do not lose my DC locality pay. If I spend my maternity leave at my mom's house, I am not required to tell work where I am and I certainly don't get more money if my mom lives in a HCOL area.

The person PP is complaining about is on leave. They have approval to telework for short periods, but effectively they are "home" for pay purposes while on leave. The prior boss didn't have to approve the telework, and presumably PP could disallow the telework if they chose, but it's not locality fraud.

OK the question then is whether this person still maintains a residence in DC. If they don't have a residence in DC they are not on "vacation " in another state; they are living there. Once you live in another state and fail to report to DC once a pay period you can only collect locality pay in the new state.

Well, no - the rules have nothing to do with your residence, only your work site.
Perhaps you'd like to read the rule:
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-531/subpart-F/section-531.605
Notice the parts that allow agencies to approve exceptions, too.

Look, I have no particular interest in people working from weird locations. But I really hate it when people cry "fraud" based on their own misunderstanding of the rules, as applied to a situation where they dont know the facts. It's not fraud just because it's unusual or inconvenient that your coworker is out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you suspect this person is an actual fraud who doesn't do anything, report her to the inspector general.

They'll probably get her exclusively on claiming DMV locality pay while living outside the area.

I've been reading the IG reports from my own agency, and that's pretty much the sole basis on which bad apples are pushed out. That, and running your own business during working hours, using the printers to print hundreds of flyers or something.

+1. Submit an OIG complaint on her. The big issue is that if she’s living in the Midwest she’s being paid DC locality pay. That’s fraud. Im dealing with something similar regarding paternity leave. I transferred agencies last Fall and the week before I started, an employee got the acting supervisor to sign off on intermittent paternity leave to be used over 6 months in conjunction with full time telework. It was a recipe for disaster as the employee would pop online for 20-30 minutes at a time, stretched out their leave for 6 months vs 12 weeks and avoided RTO for several months. It caused a lot of issues because it was clear that the employee was not pulling their weight and created a mess for me.

Not fraud and not similar. Just because you don't like somebody's approved leave plan doesn't make the plan illegal.

You cannot collect DC locality pay unless you are in DC once a pay period. Several people at my work have been busted for this.

No, your location while on leave does not affect your pay. If I take a 4 week vacation overseas, I do not lose my DC locality pay. If I spend my maternity leave at my mom's house, I am not required to tell work where I am and I certainly don't get more money if my mom lives in a HCOL area.

The person PP is complaining about is on leave. They have approval to telework for short periods, but effectively they are "home" for pay purposes while on leave. The prior boss didn't have to approve the telework, and presumably PP could disallow the telework if they chose, but it's not locality fraud.

OK the question then is whether this person still maintains a residence in DC. If they don't have a residence in DC they are not on "vacation " in another state; they are living there. Once you live in another state and fail to report to DC once a pay period you can only collect locality pay in the new state.

Well, no - the rules have nothing to do with your residence, only your work site.
Perhaps you'd like to read the rule:
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-531/subpart-F/section-531.605
Notice the parts that allow agencies to approve exceptions, too.

Look, I have no particular interest in people working from weird locations. But I really hate it when people cry "fraud" based on their own misunderstanding of the rules, as applied to a situation where they dont know the facts. It's not fraud just because it's unusual or inconvenient that your coworker is out.

My understanding is that the person does not have an approved exception. That is the reason for the originemployer.

The fact that someone can hypothetically be approved for sn exception is of no help when you have to explain why you are not located within 60 miles as required by your enployer.