Reply to Decentralization of fed govt begins: HHS employees eligible for permanent remote work

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Before we talk about a mass exodus, read the agreement carefully.

The condition for granting remote work is "The employee’s duties require less than 16 hours per bi-weekly pay period at the agency worksite."

And you know who gets to decide that?  Management.  There is nothing in there about clear criteria for when "duties require."

I think maybe wait and see how many people actually get approved. [/quote]

Eh.  For HHS, who needs to go to the worksite except for people in a lab? They're office jobs. [/quote]

I'm not taking a position on what jobs require onsite presence.  I'm just pointing out that management has full discretion to make the call. And we know that MANY organizations have decided that "office jobs" still require a certain amount of onsite presence.

I wouldn't expect the floodgates to open based on this union agreement.[/quote]
NIH is a lot different than most federal agencies, because it relies on a lot of people with PhDs who may also have spouses with PhDs. This opens up the potential for them to hire and retain highly qualified people who do highly technical work that mostly involves solitary analytical work and report writing who may otherwise be constrained to apply for and/or work at NIH because perhaps their spouse is pursuing a teaching career at UC Berkeley or something. NIH has always had looser barriers to employment and engagement with academic and industry than other agencies. I can see a lot of NIH technical employees leave the area as a result, which would create a further drag on the county’s small biotech sector. The Bay Area, Seattle, and Boston are poised to benefit.[/quote]
? The cost of living in the Bay Area (and probably Boston) is much much higher than in DC.  They may leave for CA for the weather, but not for the col.

-former Bay Area resident.[/quote]
You would leave for the job opportunities/career growth and accept the higher COL.[/quote]
no, many would not.  In fact, many turn down the move because of the insane col.[/quote]
Not all decisions are that simple. If one spouse is underemployed, which is common, then the wage gains the household could receive by moving could offset COL difference. But the DMV is also a high COL area. The main different between the two is what you value for QOL: do you value more space or better weather/lifestyle.[/quote]

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