National Parks closure sign at entrance to the Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming during a funding lapse in October 2013 lasting 16 days, resulting in the furlough of some 850,000 federal employees. Image: Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffTypically, about a week before a potential shutdown—meaning potentially late this week—OMB convenes calls with agencies, telling them to brush off their shutdown “contingency plans,” which outline which employees would stay on the job and which would be furloughed. Some of those plans were updated as recently as last month, although most date back several years.
Closer to the deadline, agencies would begin notifying individuals of their status, including a reminder that those on unpaid furlough are not to work, even telework, during that time. For those to be furloughed, paid leave cannot be substituted for unpaid time, and previously scheduled paid time off is canceled.
However, furloughed employees generally would be expected to conduct what are called “orderly shutdown procedures” such as securing work stations, changing messages on voice mail and setting up automatic out of office replies to email. In some cases that might occur for several hours at the start of the next regular work day, which for most would be Monday, October 2.
Contingency plans also contain agency procedures for ramping up once a funding lapse ends, including notifying furloughed employees of when they are to return (normally the next regularly scheduled work day) and steps for resuming normal operations.
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