Image: Southworks/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffIn a report that addresses an issue common across government, the inspector general at the IRS has raised questions about enforcement of pandemic safety policies, saying that “there are a number of circumstances under which direct supervisors cannot or may not feel comfortable addressing an employee’s failure to adhere” to them.
The report, based on unannounced IG visits to eight IRS campuses, concluded that safety protocols generally are being followed, although it also observed cases of masks not being worn properly or not worn in places they were required, and employees not observing distancing requirements by, for example, rearranging tables and chairs in order to sit together during breaks. A recent report on 20 IRS taxpayer assistance centers made similar observations, as did prior IG reports on agencies including OPM, GSA, SBA and USPS.
The latest report further stresses that “there is not a specific group or team designated to enforce health and safety guidance.” Instead that is left to individual supervisors who are also “responsible for approaching any individual at an IRS facility to ask them to adhere to COVID-19 guidance if they see an instance of noncompliance.”
“However, the designation of direct supervisors as the primary enforcement mechanism for health and safety measures has several limitations. First, IRS supervisors are not always physically with an employee during their workday. For example, an employee may take breaks where the supervisor is no longer present to observe issues with noncompliance,” it said.
“Second, supervisors are not always on-site with employees and may be unable to directly observe and correct any issues. Third, supervisors may not feel comfortable approaching employees who are not their own when they see instances of noncompliance in an IRS facility,” it said.
The report also said it found differences between facilities regarding mask-wearing policies as well as “varying degrees of understanding of the types of paid leave available to employees who had COVID-19-related needs.”
Government Shutdown Countdown Formally Begins
Federal Vaccine Mandate: Bargaining, Exceptions Become Focus
Senate, House Differ on Probationary Policy, Other DoD Personnel Issues
