Issue Briefs

Following is an OPM memo calling the attention of agencies and employees to programs available and initiatives under way for balancing the demands of work and home lives.

This memorandum provides an overview of our progress towards more effective, flexible work environments, in celebration of National Work & Family Month (October).  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is also pleased to share information about multiple resources and tools available to agencies as they strive to achieve high performance cultures.

OPM has identified work-life as one of five key drivers of employee engagement which positively impacts recruitment, retention, and organizational performance (see OPM’s infographic on these key drivers).  Managers who support employees’ professional and personal success unleash employee productivity, engagement, and satisfaction.

OPM is committed to helping agencies strategically develop and improve work-life programs through consultation, guidance, trainings, and tools.  For National Work and Family Month, OPM will offer a series of webinars and meetings on current work-life topics:

Tuesday, October 24, 1:30 p.m. EDT – The Impact of Domestic Violence in the Workplace Webinar.  This webinar will revisit the ripple effects of domestic violence into the workplace.  Agency employees may register using this link:  https://opm.adobeconnect.com/impactofdomesticviolence/event/event_info.html
Thursday, October 26 – Telework Coordinators Meeting.  This meeting will include a briefing on the results of the 2016 Status of Telework in the Federal Government Report to Congress, updates made to telework.gov,  training for the 2017 Telework Data Call (to be administered in November) to satisfy the reporting requirements of the Telework Enhancement Act, updates on the Automated Telework Data Reporting Project.

ONLINE, INTERACTIVE WORK-LIFE TRAININGS

OPM has developed 1) the Introduction to Leave, Work-Life, and Workplace Flexibilities Training for managers and employees seeking to understand, access, and use the vast resources and flexible workplace options available in the Federal Government; 2) the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking in the Workplace Course for managers and employees seeking guidance and tips on the sensitive and difficult topics related to managing a domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking matter in the workplace; and 3)  Executive Excellence and Wellness through Strategic Leadership Training, which discusses how to use strategic leadership skills in one’s work and personal life to achieve executive excellence and wellness.  OPM has also updated two telework trainings, Telework Fundamentals – Employee Training and Telework Fundamentals – Manager Training.  To find other work-life related trainings visitHR University’s Work-Life Studio.

TELEWORK GUIDANCE

OPM offers guidance on how to utilize various workplace flexibilities, including telework, to help mitigate commuting disruptions (e.g., CPM 2016-06 Impact of the Metro SafeTrack Project on Washington, DC, Area Federal Employees), reduce health risks (e.g., CPM 2016-07 Coping with Severe Heat and Humidity), and assist Federal employees affected by severe weather, natural disasters, and other emergency situations (e.g., CPM 2016-11 Human Resources Flexibilities for Severe Weather, Natural Disaster, and other Emergency Situations).  To access a wider array of information and resources, visit telework.gov.

FEHB COVERAGE OF PREVENTIVE CARE AND BENEFITS RELATED TO AUTISM

Health plans cover many preventive services at no cost to their members, including but not limited to flu shots, tobacco cessation treatment options, newborn screenings, hearing and vision screenings for children, and diabetes, cholesterol, and osteoporosis screenings for adults.  Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) plans are required to cover applied behavior analysis (ABA) benefits for children on the autism spectrum.  This recent expansion of ABA availability is part of an overall approach to ensuring that Federal families have access to the care they need.  OPM encourages all Federal employees to take advantage of their preventive health benefits and review their plan brochures and Open Season information for specific details.

In addition, the following resources are expected to be released shortly:
New downloadable Worksite Wellness, Employee Assistance Program, and Telework infographics
Broad ranging Work-Life posts to OPM’s Federal Work-Life Community of Practice hosted on MAX.gov
Federal Work-Life Survey Report – this report will present the results of the Work-Life survey administered by OPM in January 2017. The data collected from this survey will help individual agencies understand their employees’ work-life needs and priorities, allowing senior leaders and managers to make evidence-based decisions about investments in work-life programs

Additional Information
Employees should contact their agency’s Work-Life Coordinator(s) for more information on agency-specific program offerings.  Employees can locate their Coordinators through OPM’s online contact tool:  https://www.opm.gov/cclcontact/.  Agency human resources offices are encouraged to review the material available on OPM’s Work-Life website and contact OPM’s Work-Life Office at worklife@opm.gov for assistance.