OPM updates unscheduled telework option

The Office of Personnel Management is updating its dismissal and closure procedures for the Washington (DC) area after January’s snowstorm commute – dubbed “Commutageddon” – that left some people stranded on the road for up to 13 hours. Now, when OPM announces an early departure, employees will be able to request unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework before their individually staggered early departure times, according to an OPM memo sent to agency heads March 3. “The revised announcement is not a change in policy but is simply meant to highlight that employees have the option to request unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework if they wish to leave prior to their designated early departure times,” OPM Director John Berry said. Berry acknowledged that some agencies are having difficulty implementing their unscheduled telework policies, and he said OPM will work with these agencies to “better understand their concerns and lessons learned during this year’s snow season.”