Fedweek

In finalizing policies for a new form of paid leave, weather and safety leave, OPM addressed the special considerations arising regarding telework, in which an employee’s assigned worksite for that day would not be the regular workplace but rather an alternate site, typically the home.

“Weather/safety leave is granted solely because of safety risks,” OPM said, and because concerns about the safety of commuting don’t apply to telework, “it is anticipated that such leave would be granted sparingly in the case of employees participating in telework.”

Warnings of severe weather events “are usually broadcast in the media well in advance and, for that reason, teleworkers are generally expected to know that they need to be prepared to work from home when the event occurs.” Telework-eligible employees are required to have a place and equipment suitable for teleworking, it said.

However, the authority “would cover situations where working at an alternative worksite is itself unsafe, where the employee is ineligible for telework, or where the employee is not participating in a telework program,” OPM added.

“At the sole and exclusive discretion of agency management, it could also be used to cover the unusual situation where a teleworker is unprepared to telework because the event could not be readily anticipated (e.g., the normal workplace is rendered unsafe following a fire, flood, or earthquake) and the employee does not have equipment or materials he or she would need to perform work,” a Federal Register notice says.

In addition, “If agency policies allow an employee to telework with a school-age child or an elderly parent in the home in a weather/safety situation, any time spent in giving care to such individuals would not be considered hours of work. Under this scenario, an employee would be expected to account for work and non-work hours during his or her tour of duty and take the appropriate leave (paid or unpaid) to account for the time spent away from normal work-related duties.”

OPM said it will issue further specific guidance on telework.