OPM Guidance on COVID-19

[Anonymous]

https://www.chcoc.gov/content/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-additional-guidance

Highlights:

In the event of school and building closure, agencies could decide to suspend the no telework with kids in the house rule. You would be required to work and account for your time caregiving through use of leave.

If you catch this virus you have to use leave.

Basically it puts a lot of the burden on the employee if this thing hits hard.

[Anonymous]

See the link for FAQs as of March 7th.

[Anonymous]

You have to use sick leave if you are sick? You are kidding!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to use sick leave if you are sick? You are kidding!

It’s this mentality that is going to make people come into work sick and spread this thing. Not everyone can just take 2-3 weeks off. I would much rather someone be given paid leave then have them schlep into the office getting everyone else sick because they can’t go without a paycheck.

[Anonymous]

*to specify I don’t think this should come out of current leave banks. I for one already have negative sick leave from recent maternity leave. I guess I’d just have to come in and infect everyone if we’re gonna put the burden of this virus on the individual!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to use sick leave if you are sick? You are kidding!

It’s this mentality that is going to make people come into work sick and spread this thing. Not everyone can just take 2-3 weeks off. I would much rather someone be given paid leave then have them schlep into the office getting everyone else sick because they can’t go without a paycheck.

Agree. Forcing people to come to work sick will spread the virus and overwhelm our medical resources. Penny wise, pound foolish thinking.

[Anonymous]

Seems perfectly sensible to me. I’m glad they put this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to use sick leave if you are sick? You are kidding!

It’s this mentality that is going to make people come into work sick and spread this thing. Not everyone can just take 2-3 weeks off. I would much rather someone be given paid leave then have them schlep into the office getting everyone else sick because they can’t go without a paycheck.

Agree. Forcing people to come to work sick will spread the virus and overwhelm our medical resources. Penny wise, pound foolish thinking.

Yep. I don’t have two weeks of sick leave, so I guess I will just infect everyone! Sorry, red line users. And everyone in my building. And their families. Your grandma might die, but I won’t choose to get evicted, so I guess OPM is comfortable with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to use sick leave if you are sick? You are kidding!

It’s this mentality that is going to make people come into work sick and spread this thing. Not everyone can just take 2-3 weeks off. I would much rather someone be given paid leave then have them schlep into the office getting everyone else sick because they can’t go without a paycheck.

Agree. Forcing people to come to work sick will spread the virus and overwhelm our medical resources. Penny wise, pound foolish thinking.

Yep. I don’t have two weeks of sick leave, so I guess I will just infect everyone! Sorry, red line users. And everyone in my building. And their families. Your grandma might die, but I won’t choose to get evicted, so I guess OPM is comfortable with that.

I had flu a couple of weeks ago, and I took two full days off, and then a mix of telework and sick leave the rest of the week. I didn't want to risk making anyone else sick, but was perfectly well enough to work most of a day (but took a few hours of leave to rest up since I was still tired). I assume one could do the same for coronavirus unless your boss is a total jerk.

[Anonymous]

I have 3 days of PTO I was trying to save for summer and am not set up for telework.

[Anonymous]

Question for fed workers -- is there a sick leave bank you guys can use if you are out of paid sick leave (like the woman who just came back from maternity leave, or the new hires)? Maybe they should also remove restrictions on the use of the sick leave borrowing bank.

[Anonymous]

So I have carefully saved my leave and my coworker constantly uses it for all kinds of things. She now gets free leave for claiming Corona and I spend my leave. Advancing leave is fine but just giving it out seems a bit out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for fed workers -- is there a sick leave bank you guys can use if you are out of paid sick leave (like the woman who just came back from maternity leave, or the new hires)? Maybe they should also remove restrictions on the use of the sick leave borrowing bank.

There is, but you have to burn through all of your sick and annual leave first. A lot of people, if healthy enough to work, will continue to come in sick rather than be forced to burn up all their leave. And who is going to donate leave if they’re in fear of a virus getting them sick?

This is going to create an interesting dynamic between younger workers (who tend to have less leave than more senior employees) who may have mild symptoms and not want to burn their little leave balance vs. older employees who have more leave, but lower immunity. We should be in this all together like other countries that are guaranteeing pay in case of quarantine or illness. But instead it’s every man for himself in the fed gov.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for fed workers -- is there a sick leave bank you guys can use if you are out of paid sick leave (like the woman who just came back from maternity leave, or the new hires)? Maybe they should also remove restrictions on the use of the sick leave borrowing bank.

Our agency has a leave bank. If you have lost use or leave days, they go into leave bank.

I have donated very generously in the past ten years under this policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for fed workers -- is there a sick leave bank you guys can use if you are out of paid sick leave (like the woman who just came back from maternity leave, or the new hires)? Maybe they should also remove restrictions on the use of the sick leave borrowing bank.

There is, but you have to burn through all of your sick and annual leave first. A lot of people, if healthy enough to work, will continue to come in sick rather than be forced to burn up all their leave. And who is going to donate leave if they’re in fear of a virus getting them sick?

This is going to create an interesting dynamic between younger workers (who tend to have less leave than more senior employees) who may have mild symptoms and not want to burn their little leave balance vs. older employees who have more leave, but lower immunity. We should be in this all together like other countries that are guaranteeing pay in case of quarantine or illness. But instead it’s every man for himself in the fed gov.

Coming in because you refuse to burn your leave is selfish when you have a leave bank you can draw on.