May 2000
Preface To The Handbook on _______________'s Flexiplace Program:
The information in this handbook contains the requirements and guidance for all ______________ employees in the development, implementation, and assessment of its flexiplace program. The provisions of the handbook are effective immediately. The handbook was prepared in conjunction with the exclusive representative of the Headquarters bargaining unit employees, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). Note that the handbook contains requirements and guidance for both bargaining unit employees covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Headquarters and NTEU (including those who participated in the "pilot" flexiplace program under the agreement) and non-bargaining unit employees who are not covered by the agreement. Whereas most of the handbook applies to both groups of employees, where there are differences in application between the two groups, the differences will be indicated by bold type face and the following headings: Bargaining Unit Employees, and, in italics, Non-Bargaining Unit Employees, respectively.
May, 2000
Chapter I - Implementing Flexiplace in ________
Chapter II - Performance Issues
Chapter III - Work Schedules And Pay Issues
Chapter IV - Home Office Workplace Issues 23
Chapter V - Property, Records, And Security Issues 27
Chapter VI - Remote Access Issues 29
Appendices
A- Application for Flexiplace 31
Tasks/Activities to be Performed 34
B- Flexiplace Agreement - Regular and Medical 36
Equipment/Resources Checklist 41
C- Situational Flexiplace Agreement 44
D - Annual Flexiplace Re-Certification 46
F - World Wide Web Resources on Flexiplace 51
G - Process for obtaining space in GSA Telecenters 52
H - Inventory of Tasks/Assignments Appropriate for Flexiplace 52
I - Article 47, Flexiplace, from the Collective Bargaining Agreement 53
What is "Flexiplace"?
Flexiplace is a term that refers to a program that covers employees who work at sites other than their official workplace. In general, flexiplace assumes that some office workers who would normally be spending most or all of the regular work week working in ________________ in Washington, D.C. [or at the Germantown facilities] will now spend some portion of that work week working from home or elsewhere off site during normal working hours. The term "flexiplace" has been used for several years here at Headquarters; the name of the program at the Department of Energy level is "DOE-Flex." These terms are frequently used interchangeably with "telecommuting," "telework," and "work-at-home," which are other terms that are used to describe a flexiplace program. Employees who participate in a flexiplace program are often referred to as "telecommuters" or "teleworkers."
Employee participation in flexiplace in ____________is voluntary and subject to management approval and, for bargaining unit employees, the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Headquarters and NTEU. Although any employee may request to participate in the program, the nature of an employee's work, such as working with classified information, physically maintaining facilities, or the need for the employee to be in the office for meetings in which issues or materials must be reviewed or modified via personal contact, provide service to walk-in customers, or to utilize office resources, may limit the employee as to where that work can be performed. This program is not an employee entitlement, does not change the terms and conditions of an employee's appointment and is not a substitute for child or other dependent care arrangements; nor is anyone who is approved to participate assured that this work option will continue indefinitely.
What has been the history of flexiplace in the Government, in the Department of Energy and in Headquarters?
In January, 1990, the Federal Government began piloting flexible workplace arrangements that were known as flexiplace arrangements. In the summers of 1994 and 1996, the President issued memoranda directing the Heads of Executive Departments to expand the use of family-friendly workplace practices, including telecommuting. Those memoranda announced that the Federal Government was to become a model employer by effectively utilizing flexible workplace arrangements to increase productivity, recruit and retain a well-qualified workforce, and assist employees to balance their work and family needs. In April 1995, flexiplace procedures were published for non-bargaining unit employees. In January 1996, the President's Management Council endorsed a National Telecommuting Initiative to increase the number of Federal employees who telecommute to 3% by the end of FY 00 and 15% by the end of FY 02. In the Fall of 1997, the Vice President issued a report to the President that stated that the Federal Government "should greatly expand the number of (F)ederal workers who telecommute."
The Department of Energy began its program in February, 1995, when it issued a "Telecommuting Guide" and flexiplace became available for non-bargaining unit employees. In August of 1996, Headquarters and NTEU signed a term agreement that called for a flexiplace "pilot" to cover no more than 20% of each Headquarters element's bargaining unit employees. By the end of FY 98, the Department had 2.3% of its workforce in some type of flexiplace arrangement. Since 1995, the Department has utilized this program primarily to accommodate employees who have temporary or continuing health problems, but has also had over 250 employees in regular and recurring formal flexiplace arrangements. Although almost all the formal arrangements have been work-at-home situations, a few employees have worked at alternative DOE sites and at the General Services Administration (GSA)-sponsored telecenters, which are state-of-the-art office sharing workplaces, in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. In 1999, Headquarters and NTEU evaluated the Headquarters flexiplace pilot and found that it was a success, with productivity maintained, no loss in quality, and a decrease in the use of sick leave.
In January, 2000, Headquarters and NTEU negotiators agreed to changes in the flexiplace article, taking it from the pilot phase and expanding it as a permanent program. In March, 2000, Secretary Richardson launched an initiative to expand the use of flexiplace arrangements and established goals for employee participation for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 that will ensure that the President's goal of 15% participation is met or exceeded. A copy of the Secretary's memorandum that announced the initiative is in Appendix E.
What are the objectives and benefits of flexiplace?
Because of DOE's increasing need to be a competitive employer in a tight labor market, the many advances in information technology since the program began, and the benefits described below, the Department is launching an aggressive campaign to stimulate expansion of its flexiplace program and ________ is participating in this campaign.
The following are the main reasons that the Department and ______________ support an active flexiplace program. These reasons also appear in Article 47, Flexiplace, in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Headquarters and NTEU.
Flexiplace is beneficial to the employee, but is not an entitlement. Flexiplace is a voluntary program subject to approval by higher level management. Participation in flexiplace may not be used as a basis for denying promotions or other management decisions adverse to the participant.
Chapter I - Implementing Flexiplace
All flexiplace arrangements in __________will require the completion of a flexiplace agreement. See Appendix B and C for agreements that apply to __________ . The flexiplace agreement for regular or situational flexiplace must be signed by the employee and the employee's rating official prior to the employee's starting or modifying flexiplace. It is preferred that the agreement be completed prior to an employee's beginning medical flexiplace but if this is not possible, the agreement must be concluded and on file before the end of the first pay period of the employee's working on flexiplace under a medical arrangement.
Employees may participate in flexiplace for personal or family medical reasons, for example, to recover from surgery or injury, to have access to recurring medical treatments, or to care for a family member, as that term is defined in Federal and Departmental regulations governing sick leave, who requires care or assistance. The concept of the family member shall include the following: the employee's mother, father, mother-in-law, father-in-law, spouse, brother, sister, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, child, grandchild, grandparent, grandparent-in-law or a member of the employees household with whom the employee shares or has shared a mutual residence within the past year.
Although flexiplace (of any type) is not a substitute for primary care giving, there are circumstances in which an employee could work at home and still provide needed care on a limited basis to an immediate family member. Also, if the employee were him/herself in need of treatment or recuperation, the employee could also request flexiplace. In both these circumstances, the employee could file an application, stating that the flexiplace is for medical reasons. The application would be treated just as other applications and would not need approval from Headquarters Personnel and Executive Resources, as previously required. In addition to providing the requisite information about work to be performed at home, the employee will need to provide a plan whereby he/she will ensure that there is no disruption to the performance of work tasks, and that there is medical documentation to justify the medical flexiplace.
Bargaining unit employees: the rating/reviewing official may require that medical documentation be provided in accordance with the procedures specified in Article 27, Section 27.03.D.
Non-bargaining employees: the rating/reviewing officials may require that adequate medical documentation be provided that directly links the family member's, or employee's, medical condition to the need for flexiplace and that provides a prognosis of return to full duty and or any limiting conditions. The rating/reviewing officials will, at their discretion, obtain advice from appropriate sources before responding to employee requests for flexiplace for medical reasons.
Because all flexiplace arrangements involve the performance of work assigned and evaluated under the Headquarters Performance Management Implementation Plan, final approval or disapproval of an employee's request for flexiplace (the flexiplace application at Appendix A) must occur at the reviewing official's level (this is usually, but not always, at the second level of supervision in _______________ ). The rating official may make a recommendation regarding approval/disapproval, but may not make the final decision. Management action, i.e., to either approve or disapprove a flexiplace application, must occur regardless of when the application is submitted and regardless of the grade level of the employee submitting the application. All requests will be acted upon within 5 work days of submission; if this is not possible, the rating official will inform the requesting employee of the delay, the reasons for the delay, and the revised time of approval or disapproval. The rating official will also inform the flexiplace coordinator, and the union (for bargaining unit employees). Notification may be accomplished by electronic mail.
If the reviewing official disapproves the request, the reason for the disapproval must be provided to the employee in writing by the rating official, with copies of the disapproval going to the coordinator and to the union (if the employee is in the bargaining unit). The reviewing official should be prepared to discuss the reason(s) for the disapproval and to suggest any modification to the request, if any, that would make flexiplace possible.
If the application has been approved, it is up to the employee and the employee's rating official to complete and sign the flexiplace agreement prior to flexiplace commencing. This process should be completed within 5 working days.
An employee should thoroughly discuss the possibility of working flexiplace with his/her rating official before submitting a formal application. This will help to build a mutual understanding necessary for a successful flexiplace arrangement.
If there are disputes regarding the flexiplace request, it is hoped that they can be resolved at the lowest possible organizational level at the earliest possible opportunity. At the first sign of difficulty, the employee and rating official should discuss the issue and try to resolve it. The ___________ coordinator and the bargaining unit employee's representative are also available to assist in working out problems.
If two or more employees wish to participate in a flexiplace arrangement and a "tie-breaking" mechanism is needed because of organizational demands, in-person coverage needs, etc., the following will be used in the following order: grade, time in grade, time at DOE, service computation date.
If the employee and his/her management chain are in disagreement about any aspect of flexiplace, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution procedures are encouraged in order to achieve resolution with minimum disruption or effect on relationships. If there is no resolution and the employee wishes to proceed formally, the following provisions apply:
Bargaining unit employees: Employer decisions regarding flexiplace may be appealed by filing a "Step One" grievance in accordance with Article 11, Section 11.09 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. If the matter is not resolved at Step One, the matter may be appealed to arbitration, in accordance with the provisions of Article 12. The arbitrator, after hearing the case, will issue a bench decision.
Non-bargaining unit employees: Employer decisions regarding flexiplace may be grieved using DOE 3771.1, GRIEVANCE POLICY AND PROCEDURES
The duration of a flexiplace agreement depends on the type of flexiplace:
Regular flexiplace agreements are expected to continue until terminated under the procedures of this handbook. Agreements for regular flexiplace should be reviewed during the participating employee's two progress review/feedback meetings with the rating official and should be re-certified for continuation during the annual performance evaluation under the Headquarters Performance Management Implementation Plan (the re-certification form is Appendix D). Failure to re-certify an agreement is a management oversight that must be corrected as soon as the oversight is discovered. Failure to re-certify does not mean that the employee's flexiplace agreement is terminated; termination must be effected by deliberate management action.
Situational flexiplace arrangements are by definition of a relatively short duration, corresponding to the specific assignment directed by the rating official. For example, if the employee were directed to work on an assignment over a two-day period, the duration of the situational arrangement could be two days. Situational flexiplace arrangements might also be appropriate when a large number of employees in one office, whose tasks are compatible with flexiplace, wish to participate. Short-term flexiplace assignments might be used to determine optimum patterns of communication as well as the effect of flexiplace on those remaining in the office. Note that situational flexiplace would not require a separate agreement for each period of time the employee spends on flexiplace; rather, one agreement for an indefinite period covering multiple situational arrangements could be agreed to; see Appendix C.
Duration of a medical flexiplace agreement would correspond to the duration of the medical situation, as supported by adequate medical documentation, that prompted the original request for flexiplace.
Participants should be permitted to terminate at any time. Rating and reviewing officials should discuss any problems articulated by the employee with the ___________. flexiplace coordinator so that every opportunity for resolution can be explored prior to an employee's announcing that he/she is terminating flexiplace Participants who are terminating due to difficulties in obtaining necessary support from their organization, or because they believe that their career opportunities are being jeopardized as a result of their participation in the program or similar problems, should first discuss these issues with their rating and reviewing officials, the flexiplace coordinator and, if they are in the bargaining unit, their NTEU representative. Except in the case of an emergency, any time an employee believes he or she needs to permanently or temporarily return to work in the office, the employee will normally provide management with thirty (30) calendar days notice of the needed change.
An agreement may need to be terminated when there is a change in the organization's mission or staff reductions or other reasons that affect the employee's tasks or activities that had been performed at the remote site. An agreement may also need to be terminated when a participant's performance in a critical element drops to a Level "1" as transmitted to the employee during either of the employee's two progress review/feedback sessions or performance appraisal. As with all declining performance, the rating official should alert the employee to the measures of performance (see Chapter II) that indicate that the performance is declining and work with the employee on improving the performance.
In cases where there are conduct problems, the rating official should attempt to find the causes of, and solutions for, the problems in consultation with the employee before terminating an agreement.
Except in emergencies, rating/ reviewing officials should give reasonable notice that an agreement is being terminated. A reasonable termination notice by the manager should, if at all possible, match the length of time of a flexiplace termination notice provided by an employee, i.e., thirty (30) calendar days. In the termination notice, the employee's right to grieve must be delineated.
A flexiplace agreement is also terminated automatically when an employee is reassigned to a different organization within __________ or to another Departmental element.
There is no limit to how the regular flexiplace work schedule may be configured (see Chapter III) so long as the scheduling is not disruptive to the work for which the office is responsible or causes an unreasonable burden to those who are at the duty station when the employee is on flexiplace.
Bargaining unit employees: ______________ will place no limit on the number of days in a pay period that an employee is permitted to work a regular flexiplace schedule; rather, the days will be determined by the work that can be done at a remote site and the need for the employee to interact with the person(s) assigning work and with colleagues, etc. The number of days per pay period in the schedule will be determined as a result of the discussion between the employee and rating official pursuant to the terms of Article 47.
Non-bargaining unit employees:[ _______________ will permit non-bargaining unit employees to participate a maximum of _____day(s) per pay period on a "regular" flexiplace arrangement.] OR [__________ will place no limit on the number of days in a pay period that an employee is permitted to work a "regular" flexiplace schedule; rather, the days will be determined by the work that can be done at a remote site and the need for the employee to interact with person(s) assigning work and with colleagues, etc. ] This will allow those employees who are functioning in supervisory capacities [optional: including members of the Senior Executive Service] to fulfill their obligations but still take advantage of flexiplace arrangements for those tasks and activities that can be performed at a remote site; "confidential" employees will still be encouraged to participate to the maximum allowed with the understanding that the nature of their task assignments may render participation in flexiplace extremely limited.
Work suitable for flexiplace (all types) depends on job content rather than job title, type of appointment, or work schedule. For example, flexiplace is feasible for work that requires thinking and writing - data analysis, reviewing grants or cases, writing decisions or reports; telephone intensive tasks - setting up a conference, obtaining information, following up on participants in a study; and for computer-oriented tasks - programming, data entry, and word processing. Note that the content of the tasks and activities must still be measurable as to progress or output. This requirement is identical to the requirement for work performed in the Headquarters office setting.
Because the employee will be away from the immediate office for specific periods during the pay period, it is important for the employee and his/her rating official to select tasks and activities, or clusters of tasks and activities, that would continuously occupy all the hours/days of flexiplace (either assigned on a situational basis or under a "regular" flexiplace arrangement), even if other aspects of the employee's position are not suited to flexiplace.
Work (tasks and activities) may not be suitable for flexiplace if the employee needs to have:
- extensive face-to-face contact with his/her management chain, other employees, clients or the general public;
- access to material which is routinely required to accomplish assignments and cannot be removed from the official duty station;
- special facilities or equipment that are not available off-site;
- handling of classified material.
Non-bargaining unit employees: In _______________________, those in supervisory or and managerial positions have [some] or [extremely limited] tasks appropriate for flexiplace apart from their supervisory tasks and thus [may] or [may not] participate in this program.
Employees whose positions involve classified information should be approved for flexiplace participation only to the extent that they may work on tasks or activities which do not involve the handling of classified material while at the flexiplace site.
Appendix H contains lists of tasks and activities that would be appropriate for flexiplace; note that this list is not all inclusive and does not contain the entire population of tasks and activities appropriate for Headquarters flexiplace participants. The list is in two parts: (1) a list of tasks and activities taken directly from the collective bargaining agreement and that apply to bargaining unit employees; (2A) a list that should address many tasks and activities that Headquarters non-bargaining employees engage in; (2B) additional tasks that are common and/or unique to non-bargaining employees in ________________and are not otherwise listed.
It is extremely important to note that the amount of time that the tasks or activities require and the distribution of the time required affect the amount of time that the employee could work on a regular flexiplace arrangement. For example, if the tasks and activities suitable for flexiplace total 20% of the employee's work day, or week, or pay period on a recurring basis, then a "regular" flexiplace arrangement with the employee spending 20% of his/her work on a remote site might be appropriate. However, in determining the amount of work that can be done off-site, it is also important to determine if the tasks can be "clustered" and performed over the course of one day, or whether tasks must be performed on specific days. Whereas 20% of the employee's work might be suitable for flexiplace, if the employee has to perform a percentage of that work over a series of days, it may not be possible to "cluster" tasks.
In the case of a medical flexiplace arrangement, it might be necessary to temporarily relieve the employee of certain tasks that do not lend themselves to flexiplace until the medical situation is resolved. Of course, all flexiplace work must be coordinated with other work unit-wide activities such as staff meetings, training, or back-up activities that the employee would be engaged in.
Flexiplace arrangements are not likely to have any significant impact on properly described position descriptions. However, the section on supervisory controls and work environment should be reviewed for accuracy since participants will normally be working independently in a sedentary environment.
When considering an employee's request to work flexiplace, the reviewing official should consider restructuring the employee's work to accommodate the request.
Flexiplace is never a substitute for recurring child care. As to other needed dependent care arrangements, employees who need to care for a family member at home will not be eliminated from consideration for either situational or regular flexiplace unless the needs of the family member will be too distracting as the flexiplace participant interacts with the rating official, customers or colleagues; or will prevent the employee from producing required work products or being available during the employee's duty time. If an employee needs medical flexiplace to care for a family member (including children) or the employee him/herself, the employee must present a plan in the application that would address any dependent care issues (such as the availability of other care givers, etc.)
To the extent feasible, _________________ will provide the necessary equipment from available surplus, including equipment which can be made available from the surplus of other organizations.[Optional: ___________ has established a plan whereby employees' office desktop computers will be replaced by docking stations and laptops, thus enabling employees on flexiplace to take their equipment between the office and the flexiplace site.] ___________ is not under any obligation to purchase extra equipment for this purpose but it will not deny equipment to those who may need it, providing the equipment is available at no cost. If ___________ cannot provide the equipment from its available supply (including surplus), employees who wish to participate in flexiplace will have to provide it through their own means. Participants who use their own equipment must ensure that adequate safeguards exist to protect the equipment and records.
____________ is not responsible for paying any extra costs employees may incur for working at home, e.g., adding an additional telephone line.
_____________ retains ownership and control of any and all hardware, software, telecommunications equipment and data placed in the alternative work site by the government. See Chapter V regarding providing equipment and protecting equipment and records.
Any equipment provided is to be used for official business only, following the same policies as work at the duty station.
A list of telecenters is at http://www.gsa.gov/teleworkcenters . Currently, the only GSA-sponsored telecenters are in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. http://www.wmtc.org/ (this link will take you to a non-government site). Employees who wish to work at a telecenter may indicate that on their flexiplace request; however, because the use of a telecenter directly affects _______________'s budget, flexiplace may be approved for the employee but not necessarily at the telecenter. If it is determined that there are sufficient funds for employees to work at telecenters if they so request, the ________ flexiplace coordinator will make all arrangements and explain the provisions and conditions of telecenter work to the participating employee. The procedures for working with GSA will be contained in Appendix G and furnished at a later date.
All supervisors and managers in _____________will:
Employees interested in flexiplace:
All employees in ___________________who wish to participate in flexiplace will follow these steps:
_____________'s flexiplace program will be reviewed on the organizational level once each year; the participation of NTEU will be requested in this review. The review team will set the parameters of the review and will publish the results. Pertinent data on flexiplace usage, e.g., the number of arrangements or percentage of employees, type of arrangements, duration, tasks and activities deemed appropriate, grade levels, etc., will be collected on a pre-announced basis and forwarded to Headquarters human resources when requested.
Chapter II - Performance Issues
Methods of evaluating work at the flexiplace should not differ from the methods of evaluating work at the office. As provided by section 4302 (a) (2) of title 5, U.S.C., and the Headquarters Performance Management Implementation Plan, employee participation in developing performance plans is encouraged; further, the rating official and the employee should discuss the methods that will be used for evaluating all work, both work performed at the duty station and work performed at the flexiplace site.
Critical elements and performance standards (i.e., tasks and levels of accomplishment) for participants should be the same as standards for similar work performed by non-participants. Results-oriented tasks that provide a reasonable basis for evaluating job performance should be used for all employees regardless of whether or not they are participants in flexiplace.
The following are examples of the methods that the rating official might use to document or to gather information about the performance of employees on flexiplace. Regardless of the method used, it is important that both the rating official and the employee understand how the employee's performance will be measured.
Quantity and quality expectations: Employees in flexiplace arrangements should not be expected to produce any more work than is considered acceptable in the office. It is essential to specify the expectations for the quantity and quality of work to be produced at the time that the employee's performance plan is transmitted and as needed thereafter to assure that _______________'s overall output is not going to be compromised by flexiplace.
Periodic progress reports provided by the employee: This could include reporting progress on specified steps of an on-going project in which a reasonable time frame, based on past experience, has been established for each step. In some circumstances, the rating official and the employee could develop a logging or other data bases that could measure quantifiable outputs.
Review of work by other management officials: If the rating official is not familiar with the details of the tasks and activities performed by the employee on flexiplace, he/she can confer with other management officials familiar with the tasks and activities. The rating official can obtain an estimate of the time that certain tasks and activities might take; the rating official can then use this as a base line for measuring outputs. As always, the flexiplace participant must know with whom the rating official is conferring.
Since the employee's work assignments would stay the same whether the employee worked at the office or in a remote site, it is assumed that the employee would be held to the same expectations throughout the performance period. Evaluations of job performance for participants should be based on the employees' performance of elements and tasks against existing levels of accomplishment under the Headquarters Performance Management Implementation Plan.
It is advisable for the rating official to discuss flexiplace with the employee during the two progress reviews and the performance appraisal discussion at the end of the performance period. They can discuss what is going well, and what is proving difficult to accomplish at a remote site due to lack of equipment or lack of accessible information, for example. Adjustments can be made to the flexiplace arrangements if they do not unduly affect (diminish or inappropriately increase) the progress or outputs expected of the employee, interfere with the productivity of the office, nor cause an unreasonable burden to those who are at the duty station when the employee is on flexiplace.
If the rating official or the employee sees a deterioration of performance, he/she should not wait until the progress review to address the situation causing the problem. Both have the responsibility for acting immediately.
Chapter III - Work Schedules and Pay Issues
Participants may continue to work flexiplace using the same approved schedule applicable when they are on duty at their offices if the schedule does not place an undue burden to those who are at the duty station when the employee is on flexiplace. Also, the effect of Headquarters' Alternative Work Schedules (AWS) program must be taken into account when scheduling employee flexiplace days. Office coverage in ___________ is an important consideration and cannot be ignored when scheduling flexiplace. For example, if an employee wanted to work flexiplace on a day upon which he/she had been depended upon to back up colleagues who were on AWS, and that back-up included dealing with walk-in customers or answering the office telephone, it would be inappropriate to allow flexiplace on that day due to organizational constraints.
Because of alternative work schedules_____________________ allows employees to start work as early as 7:00 a.m. and depart 8 = , 9 = or 10 = hours after arrival, depending on the employee's schedule (40 hours per week; 5/4/9; and 4/10 respectively); as always, employees' working hours schedules are subject to approval from the proper management level. An employee on flexiplace will be expected to observe the same working hours as he/she would observe while working at the office. As is the case at the duty station, adjustments to working hours will be addressed on a case-by-case basis between the employee and the manager authorized to grant exceptions to the employee's working hours (usually the rating official if he/she has that authority). Having an employee work the same hours on flexiplace as he/she would if at the office allows the employee to be in contact more easily with the rating official, customers and colleagues; and it facilitates intra-office gatherings if necessary, even if those gatherings are via telephone.
It is generally assumed that periodic presence in the main office will minimize isolation and communication problems; will give the participant access to equipment, services, etc. not available at the alternate workplace; will facilitate integration of the employee with those in the main office; and will ease the rating official's adjustment to the new work arrangement. ______________________ will permit full time flexiplace for employees on medical flexiplace, as determined by medical documentation. Bargaining unit employees' flexiplace schedules will be determined by their work and organizational constraints (discussed elsewhere).Non-bargaining unit employees [will not be limited] or[ will be limited to maximum of a _________ day(s) per pay period,] depending on their work assignment.
Flexiplace participants' time and attendance should be recorded as if the participants were performing their duties at their official workplaces. Flexiplace participants are expected to be available for confirmation of their time and attendance by the management official with authority to certify that time and attendance. Confirmation of time and attendance can be achieved by the rating official's determination of the reasonableness of work output for the time spent or by rating official's telephone calls during the employee's scheduled work hours at the alternative workplace.
All statutory provisions regarding pay, including premium pay, overtime, etc., apply to flexiplace participants. Flexiplace participants who are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must be directed to work overtime in advance of the overtime in order to be paid either overtime pay or compensatory time as appropriate; this practice is exactly the same as if the employee were working at the office. Rating officials of employees who are not exempt from provisions of the FLSA must take care to ensure that employees are not "suffered and permitted" to work overtime by careful assignment of work and monitoring of employee time and attendance.
Travel entitlements are based on the official duty station of the participant; i.e., flexiplace has no impact on a participant's travel.
The alternative workplace may be unaffected by emergencies that lead to closings and dismissals at _____________'s Forrestal [and Germantown] office(s); or, such closings could adversely affect the flexiplace participant by depriving him/her of support staff or access to a network. If work can proceed at a particular workplace, then employees at that site should not expect to be excused from duty just because other employees elsewhere have been dismissed or excused from reporting. [Optional for GTN elements: For example, if ____________'s Washington, D.C., buildings were open but its Germantown facilities were closed, employees could work from remote site locations and interact, if necessary, with the Washington, D.C., offices.] Each flexiplace participant's flexiplace agreement will cover this possibility. If only the flexiplace site is affected, such as a power outage, flexiplace participants should notify the rating official to discuss the situation; the employee may be directed to report to his/her office or be given permission to take annual leave or leave without pay.
Delayed departure announcements (in which employees traveling to the office may leave home at a later time for work and be given excused absence for their late arrival) would have no effect on employees working from their home on flexiplace. If it is announced that employees in the flexiplace participants' offices are allowed unscheduled leave (formerly "liberal leave"), the employees participating in flexiplace are expected to inform their rating official of their intentions regarding taking leave just as if they were attending work at the office.
In general, the organization responsible for operating a telecenter will have the authority and responsibility for emergency closing of the telecenter. That same organization will have the responsibility of informing affected telecommuters and their respective agencies. If _______________ can permit its employees to work in a local telecenter, the effect of a telecenter's closing will be addressed in the flexiplace agreement.
Yes, for work related reasons, an employee can be directed to report to the office for all or part of a workday.
An employee who is directed into the office on day(s), or part of a day, ordinarily scheduled for flexiplace should not expect to be permitted to work (an)other day(s) on flexiplace. The employee and rating official are encouraged to discuss the possibility of scheduling an alternative flexiplace schedule but if there is not sufficient flexibility in the remaining days of the pay period (e.g., others are scheduled for flexiplace, travel, training, or AWS), then the employee must expect to resume his/her flexiplace schedule the following pay period. If possible, the employee should be permitted to return to the flexiplace site for the remainder of the flexiplace day(s) not affected by the event requiring the employee's presence.
Employees who have "unusual hours" permits for the garage may be affected if they work several days per pay period at the flexiplace site. They might not meet the criteria for the percentage of time spent performing work on "unusual hours" under parking policy and therefore no longer qualify. Flexiplace data may be routinely compared with parking data to ensure that the parking program policies are maintained.
If a flexiplace participant finds that his/her average monthly transit cost (i.e., daily costs times 20) is lowered to any amount less than $65, the flexiplace participant must contact the SEET function to discuss revisions to the participant's SEET card(s). Flexiplace data may be routinely compared with the SEET data base to ensure that the SEET program policy is maintained.
Chapter IV - Home Office Workplace Issues
(Note that this Chapter primarily addresses flexiplace performed in an employee's home since the current experience shows that this is the norm at Headquarters. This emphasis is not intended to imply that other sites are excluded, or can not be considered, as appropriate flexiplace worksites.)
Flexiplace home work sites require adequate work space (a room or a portion of a room which is adequate for the performance of official duties), light, basic residential telephone service, power, adequate environmental conditions, smoke alarms, and adequate security. _________________ will not pay for any of these requirements.
Alternative workplaces should be safe and must be free of hazardous materials. Employees who engage in unsafe behavior by failing to maintain a safe workplace and who are subsequently injured may be denied workers' compensation benefits. Participants must complete the safety guideline checklist attached to Appendix B. In the event that any condition is not adequate or appears unsafe, the rating official may defer signing the agreement (which must be completed before flexiplace can commence) until such time as the condition improves. Rating officials may wish to discuss the checklist with the Headquarters Safety Officer for review and comment before signing the agreement. Participants are responsible for complying with safety standards and building codes.
Bargaining unit employees: To ensure that Information Systems and sensitive information procedures are in place at the alternate work sites,_____________ may inspect the employee's work site with twenty-four (24) hours' notice to the employee. The notice will include the date and approximate time of arrival, the number of management officials coming to the site, the estimated duration of the inspection and other appropriate information. The employee may arrange for an NTEU representative to accompany the manager to the inspection.
Prior to inspection, the employer will provide a specific list of items to be inspected and purpose/outcomes anticipated. No other inspections are allowed.
Non-bargaining unit employees: [Procedures for inspections of non-bargaining unit employees' home office sites will be the same as inspections for bargaining unit employees' home office sites.] or [Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not require employers of flexiplace participants to conduct safety inspections in homes at this time, participants are required to permit home inspections by _______________ during the participants' normal working hours, when given 24 hours' prior notification. The inspections are designed to ensure proper use, maintenance, and accountability of ___________'s property; to ensure that information is being protected; and to confirm conformance with any safety standards. When an employee is suspected of a security violation, an inspection may by unannounced during the employee's scheduled hours of work].
There is no requirement that____________ must pay for any expenses related to an employee working at home. Expenses of operating a residence, such as utility costs associated with working at home, will normally not be reimbursed. [Optional: Exceptions apply only where the personal expense directly benefits the Department, e.g., to make business-related long distance calls on the participant's home telephone; although ____________ will issue a calling card to charge long distance calls when it is not appropriate, or too costly, to install FTS 2000 telephone service.]
Employees seeking reimbursement must have obtained written prior approval from their management official authorized to approve the expenditure of funds (the approval may be given through electronic mail). After an expense is incurred, employees should complete and submit a Claim for Reimbursement for Expenditures on Official Business (SF-1164), with the receipt for the authorized expense, through their management chain to ________________.
Flexiplace may reduce dependent care costs by reducing or eliminating the number of hours of care necessary, particularly before and after school or day care, as a result of having more time to care for dependents by not having to commute to work. Flexiplace may also permit a participant to provide assistance, such as with a noon meal, to a family member that the participant would not otherwise be able to do. The opportunity to participate in flexiplace is offered with the understanding that it is the responsibility of the participant to make necessary arrangements for dependent care that is needed on a regular, recurring basis during agreed-upon hours of work. Flexiplace may not be used as a substitute for providing regular, recurring child or other dependent care arrangements.
Participants should inform their rating officials at once of any accident or injury occurring at the alternative workplace during approved working hours or during non-working hours during which the flexiplace participant was directed to work. Such incidents should be treated just as if they occurred at the main office; thus, participants are covered by, and may file claims under, the Federal Employees Workers' Compensation Act and the Federal Tort Claims Act.
The following chart is taken from the Department's DOE-FLEX guidebook; it lists some common problems associated with flexiplace and how those problems can be answered:
| Situation | Consider This Alternative |
|---|---|
| 1. Supervisor plans important meetings scheduled on employee's flexiplace days. | 1. Set up a conference call so the employee can participate in the meetings from his/her alternate workplace. |
| 2. Co-workers don't know when the employee will be in the office or accessible by other means. There is a general sense that the employee is never around. | 2. The rating official and employee will ensure that the employee's schedule is available to co-workers so they have access to it and will know when the employee will be in the office, working at home, on travel, or on leave, and when the employee has an AWS day off. |
| 3. Managers and employees do not have a clear understanding of work expectations. | 3. Define work expectations in advance to avoid misunderstanding. |
| 4. Supervisors and co-workers are not able to contact, or are unclear on how or when to contact, the employee (and are sometimes actively discouraged). There is a general reluctance to call employees at home on their flexiplace days. | 4. Provide staff with flexiplace phone number. Encourage staff to call or e-mail employee on flexiplace days. Supervisors should set an example by calling employees on their flexiplace days and insisting that others continue to transact business with employees working at their alternate workplace. |
| 5. Employees are reluctant to leave the phone on their flexiplace days, even to use the restroom or take a break, because someone who called might think they are not working. | 5. Employees could use an employee- purchased answering machine to take messages during brief absences and then follow up with callers promptly upon return. |
| 6. Employee feels a sense of isolation and loss of interaction with co-workers. | 6. If necessary, increase the number of days per week in the central office. Encourage active communication via e-mail or telephone. |
| 7. Flexiplace is joked about as "goofing off." Flexiplace days are referred to by co-workers as "days off." | 7. Explain or distribute benefits of flexiplace to staff members. Publicize the products that the flexiplace employee produces while at the alternate workplace. |
| 8. Work and home needs are difficult to distinguish while working at home. | 8. To the extent possible, keep the office space separate from the rest of the living area. Keep a definite schedule of work time and personal time and stick to it. |
| 9. The organization incurs additional expenses associated with the provision of equipment and services, such as telephone charges for computer connections and long distance calls. | 9. Weigh costs against direct and indirect savings. Include any reduction in space costs plus productivity gains, skill retention, employee satisfaction, etc. |
| 10. Employees run into technical problems with their computers at home and no one is available to assist them.
|
10. Ensure adequate information technology support is available before finalizing a flexiplace arrangement. The call-in number for Information Technology trouble shooting is ________. If support is not available, the employee should call his/her supervisor to determine whether there is work which can be done off-site, or whether the employee should report to his/her duty station. |
Chapter V - Property, Records, and Security Issues
_______________ will provide equipment to flexiplace participants only to the extent allowed by available surplus equipment and/or available funding. Participation in flexiplace does not convey a right to DOE equipment. Only property owned by _____________ including computers, other telecommunications equipment, software, and data, if otherwise available, can be installed or repaired by ___________. [Optional: _____________ has determined that repairs on government equipment will be accomplished (at the official duty station) or (at the employee's flexiplace work site).] Software may be provided for installation on the employee's equipment by the employee. Participants may not add unauthorized equipment or software to property owned by ____________without prior approval from their rating official (who will consult with the appropriate information technology representative). ______________ retains ownership and control of all installed hardware, software, and data. Participants may use their own equipment if the flexiplace site is their home. They are responsible for the maintenance of their own equipment. The list of equipment to be made available to each flexiplace participant will be part of the flexiplace agreement; the participant is responsible for the safety and security of this equipment.
Installed equipment and software should be treated as if it were in the ___________'s main office. At this time, there is no authority to allow the flexiplace participant (or office employee) to use equipment and software for personal needs. If this policy is changed, all employees will be notified.
Security requirements apply in the same manner for employee-owned equipment as for agency-owned equipment. Individual employees may borrow the software to load on their personal computer to fulfill security requirements. An icon and a statement identifying the security requirement, stating that the user of the equipment is on DOE's system, and displaying a monitoring warning should appear so that the user can accept or reject usage of the system.
It must be protected from access by unauthorized individuals and destruction of records by viruses. Personal identification, passwords, access codes, etc., need to be accounted for and maintained properly. Physical security measures, such as installing approved anti-virus software, denying children access to the work area, or securing it when not in use, also need to be taken.
Participants must notify their rating officials immediately if their equipment malfunctions. __________ is responsible for the maintenance, repair, replacement, and transport of such equipment; however, if __________ equipment is unsecured and consequently damaged by non-participants, i.e., dependents of the participant, participants may be held liable for equipment repair or replacement. Participants may be required to report to work at their duty station if work-dependent equipment repairs are extensive and adversely affect their ability to accomplish work assignments. Once an arrangement is terminated, any____________ equipment and office supplies must be returned to the office as soon as possible but not later than 30 days.
All records that pertain to ________________business that are created or received by the participant at an alternative workplace belong to______________ and will be managed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The records should not be removed from the alternative workplace and should not be disposed of except in accordance with applicable Headquarters records disposition directives.
Employees will comply with applicable government regulations governing information management and electronic security procedures for safeguarding data and data bases. Employees have always had the obligation to protect all government records and data against unauthorized disclosure, access, mutilation, obliteration, or other unauthorized use. Employees will comply with all required security measures and disclosure provisions so that at no time will security or Privacy Act requirements be compromised.
Off-site access to sensitive (unclassified) data may be permitted provided _______________'s automated data processing/security official certifies the adequacy of the security for such access. Classified material may not be removed from the participant's main office to any flexiplace site.
This chapter focuses on and illustrates current issues pertaining to the Headquarters Local Area Network (HQ LAN). As improved access services are added, this chapter will be modified. The presence of this chapter does not imply that _____________is able to provide equipment.
________________ [will] or [will not] provide access to an employee's email via the Internet. Normally, an employee is responsible for obtaining his/her own Internet service provider. ______________'s mail platform [insert: e.g., (Lotus Notes, cc:Mail, or MS Exchange)] will be used. _____________'s AOSS support team will identify appropriate remote mail access options.
_______________ AOSS support team will work with each employee to identify his/her needs and capabilities for remote access services. After this step is completed the support person will begin a process designed to deliver to the employee an optimized solution that will satisfy his/her remote computing needs.
_______________ AOSS support team will provide assistance with computer related problems. [Optional: Call ________ for software problems and ________ for hardware problems. OR Call ________ any problems related to your computer.]
Communications between Electronic Mail platforms DOE-wide allow the exchange of e-mail and file attachments. It is recommended that flexiplace participants determine the best format (MS Word, WordPerfect, DOS text, graphics, etc.) before sending a file to ensure that the recipient will be able to open the file without any difficulty.
Typically, files are sent as e-mail attachments to the employee's computer. However, current policy limits the file size to 5 megabytes for delivery during normal business hours. Delivery of e-mail attached files sized between 5 - 10 megabytes are delayed until after 6:00 p.m. during the business week. E-mail file attachments greater than 10 megabytes will not be delivered. In such cases both the sender and the intended recipient of the e-mail message will receive notification via a system-generated message.
There are other options available that enable the employee to send and receive files in a timely manner with no limitation on file size. ______________'s AOSS/LAN administrator staff should be contacted to ensure that the employee's file access and transfer needs will be fully met.
If a flexiplace employee is working extensively on his/her computer and has only one telephone line, the employee should discuss routine contact times with his/her rating official (during the time the employee would be accessible by telephone) or discuss the feasibility of the employee being issued a pager. _______________'s budget constraints will determine the availability of funds for pagers.
The DOE Assistive Technologies Web Page provides program information about the DOE Disability Program in addition to information on current and emerging assistive technologies. They and their rating officials should visit the CIO Web Site at http://cio.doe.gov/assistive to learn about computer and related telecommunications accommodations to assist persons with disabilities.
(To Be Completed By Employee)
| Employee Information | Rating Official Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Name | ||
| Title, Series, Grade | Title | ||
| Routing Symbol | Telephone | ||
| Telephone | |||
| Office Location | |||
(To Be Completed By Employee)
if no, reason why:
(To Be Completed By The Rating Official)
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| a. Is frequent face-to-face contact with clients/coworkers vital in order to complete task(s) and/or activities listed in Attachment A-1? | ||
| b. Is frequent supervisory review, while work is in progress, required as a routine part task(s) and/or activities listed in Attachment A-1? | ||
| c. Do security or technical reasons prevent information from being used on flexiplace which is needed to perform the work effectively? | ||
| d. Was the most recent performance rating below the Level 2 or equivalent? | ||
| e. Are there other concerns that might adversely affect the employee's participating in flexiplace? |
Action on Application
(To Be Completed By Rating and Reviewing Officials)
Rating Official: Approval recommended:
If approval is not recommended, reason(s), including alternate recommendation(s):
Signature: _______________________________________ Date: _______________
Reviewing Official: Approval granted:
If approval is not granted, reason(s), including adoption of rating official's recommendation(s):
Signature: _______________________________________ Date:_______________
Note: If the application is disapproved the employee will given the right to file a grievance under the appropriate grievance procedure, according to bargaining unit status.
Employee's Name:
Tasks and Activities to be performed while on Flexiplace:
Element:_____
Tasks/activities:
Percentage of duty time spent on these tasks/activities:______
Element:_____
Tasks/Activities:
Percentage of duty time spent on these tasks/activities:______
Element: _____
Tasks/Activities:
Percentage of duty time spent on these task/activities: _____
Add more copies of A-1 if neces