Freezing Rain in DC Area: Government is Open But Unscheduled Leave is an Option

Employees in the Washington, DC metropolitan area have the option of taking unscheduled leave or engaging in unscheduled telework today.

With a freezing rain advisory in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) expects some problems.

The federal government is open for business today but, according to OPM,  employees have the option of taking unscheduled leave or engaging in unscheduled telework.

Non-Emergency Employees must notify their supervisor of their intent to use unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework (if telework-ready). In accordance with their agency’s policies and procedures, subject to any applicable collective bargaining requirements, non-emergency employees have the option to use:

  1. earned annual leave, compensatory time off, credit hours, or sick leave, as appropriate;
  2. leave without pay;
  3. their alternative work schedule (AWS) day off or rearrange their work hours under flexible work schedules; or
  4. unscheduled telework (if telework-ready).

Telework-Ready Employees who are regularly scheduled to perform telework or who notify their supervisor of their intention to perform unscheduled telework must be prepared to telework for the entire workday, or take unscheduled leave, or a combination of both, for the entire workday in accordance with their agency’s policies and procedures, subject to any applicable collective bargaining requirements.

About the Author

Ralph Smith has several decades of experience working with federal human resources issues. He has written extensively on a full range of human resources topics in books and newsletters and is a co-founder of two companies and several newsletters on federal human resources. Follow Ralph on Twitter: @RalphSmith47