Headquarters
Employee/Labor Management Relations
Late Arrival/Early Dismissal
OPM Announcements Before the Workday Begins
Specific Announcements for Offices in Germantown, MD
Emergencies at the Workplace During Normal Work Hours
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sets the policy concerning Federal government employees' work obligations during emergency conditions such as severe weather, air pollution, power failure, or interruption of public transportation inside the Beltway. When emergency conditions occur before normal work hours, OPM will try to notify the news media of its policy by 6:00 a.m.
Where you are duty stationed is key to determining whether an announcement by OPM or DOE affects you. For example, if the Washington offices are open because weather in the immediate area is not severe but the Germantown facilities are closed because of a storm in that area, you will be required to come to work if you are duty stationed in Washington regardless of where you live (e.g., Washington, Virginia or Maryland).
OPM Announcements Before the Workday Begins
The table below displays OPM's policies and your work obligations as a Federal employee. These announcements apply to both Forrestal and Germantown facilities. Special policies that apply to Germantown facilities follow the OPM policies:
| Public Announcement | Leave Policy |
|---|---|
| "Federal agencies are Open; employees are expected to report to work on time." | Federal agencies will open on time; you should report for work as scheduled. |
| "Federal agencies are operating under an Unscheduled Leave policy.
Employees may take leave without prior approval. Employees must notify their agencies that they are taking leave."
|
Federal agencies will open on time, but unless you are an "Emergency Employee", you may take annual leave or leave without pay (LWOP) without prior approval from your supervisor. You must notify your office that you will use leave. Employees designated as "Emergency Employees" are expected to report for work on time. |
| "Federal agencies are operating under an Adjusted Home Departure policy. Employees are requested to leave home ‘X’ hours (# of hours to be set by OPM) later than their normal departure time." | Federal agencies will op on time and, unless you are an "Emergency Employee", you are instructed to stay at home for a specific number of hours and then leave for work. Your absence will be excused without charge to your leave from the beginning of your scheduled work day until your arrival at work. Note: If you are an emergency employee, you are expected to report for work at your normal starting time. |
| "Federal agencies are operating under an Adjusted Home Departure/Unscheduled
Leave policy. Employees are requested to leave home "X" hours (# of hours to be set by OPM) later than their normal departure
time.
Employees unable to come to work may take leave without prior approval." |
Federal agencies will open on time and, unless you are an "Emergency Employee", you are instructed to stay at home for a specific number of hours and then leave for work. Your absence will be excused without charge to your leave from the beginning of your scheduled work day until your arrival at work. If you decide not to come to work, you may take annual leave or leave without pay (LWOP) without prior approval from your supervisor. You must notify your office that you will use leave. Note: If you are an Emergency Employee, you are expected to report for work at your normal starting time. |
| "Federal agencies are closed." | You are excused from duty without loss of pay or charge to your leave. Employees designated as "Emergency Employees" should report to work on time. |
In addition the Headquarters/NTEU CBA includes the following provisions for bargaining unit employees:
In accordance with Article 27.05, absences of up to one (1) day may be excused even if the office remains open if a prohibition or restriction of traffic by public authority exists or a breakdown in public transportation that could not be foreseen, would prevent you from reporting to the office within four (4) hours of the start of the workday.
Bargaining unit employees: If you believe that you have been affected by the circumstances described in the Article 27.05 immediately above, please notify your supervisor right away; don’t wait until the end of the pay period to establish your entitlement to excused leave.
Specific Announcements for Offices in Germantown, MD
When necessary, special instructions are issued to employees in response to severe weather in the immediate Germantown area affecting the ability of employees to reach the Germantown facilities safely, or because other emergency or hazardous conditions exist. The instructions will be issued separately from any announcement by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and will inform employees of any exception or addition to the OPM announcement. For example, OPM may announce that Federal offices are open, but DOE Headquarters may determine that DOE facilities in Germantown, MD area are operating under an adjusted home departure policy. Note that such an announcement only applies to employees who work in Germantown.
Announcements of special conditions affecting working operations at Germantown facilities will be announced two ways: by radio and over a recorded telephone message. Announcements will be made on the following radio stations: WMAL (630 AM )(this link will take you to a non-government site), WTOP (107.7 FM or 1500 AM)(this link will take you to a non-government site), WFMD (930 AM)(this link will take you to a non-government site) and WFRE (99.9 FM)(this link will take you to a non-government site). In addition, a special message will be recorded on the Headquarters telephone system. The message can be accessed by calling (301) 903-7669 (SNOW), or by accessing the Voice Mail 800 number of (800) 832-0885, and entering 3-7669 (SNOW). (When calling either number, an employee may initially experience continued ringing or hear a busy signal if there are a large number of incoming calls.) Messages will be put on the radio and telephone system as early in the day as possible, but normally by 6:00 a.m.
Can employees who live in Germantown or Frederick, Maryland, and who work in Forrestal be expected to come to work even if Germantown is closed? Yes, it’s possible!
Emergencies at the Workplace During Normal Work Hours
When an emergency situation occurs during normal work hours, e.g., a winter storm, Headquarters will announce an adjusted work dismissal policy. What this means is that you are released from work a certain amount of time prior to your normal departure time without charge to your personal leave. For example, if there is a three (3) hour adjustment and your normal work day ends at 5:00 p.m., you would be released on excused absence beginning at 2:00 p.m.
In such early dismissal cases, the type and amount of leave you are charged depends on when you depart from the office. For example, if you leave before an official announcement of an early dismissal, you may be charged either personal leave or absence without leave for the entire absence. If you leave with your supervisor’s permission, after the official announcement, you would be charged personal leave (annual or LWOP) for the time up to the set departure time and excused absence for the remainder of the day.
As you can see, determining your leave status can be complicated depending on when you leave the office. Always try to talk with your supervisor, or another management official in your office, before you leave. If this is not possible, leave a written note or E-mail for your supervisor. Be aware though, that simply leaving a message with your supervisor does not mean that your absence before the authorized departure time is approved.