U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Agency Guidance - Human Capital Management Policy for a Pandemic Influenza

The best way to prepare for a possible pandemic health crisis is to plan carefully. Planning includes -

• Reviewing relevant agency and Governmentwide human resources policies and practices
• Developing human resources management strategies to deal with circumstances that may arise during a pandemic health crisis
• Testing plans of action and telecommunications systems to ensure readiness
• Communicating with employees, managers, and other stakeholders prior to, during, and after a pandemic health crisis

These Pandemic Planning Guides and Agency Strategies are designed to assist agencies as they prepare for a possible pandemic health crisis. Some of the planning guides provide suggestions for general preparations, while others provide information for handling specific situations that may arise. We recommend agencies immediately use the checklist formatted guides to assess their current state of readiness. The checklists can also be used in the future to assess progress and overall preparation for dealing with a potential health emergency.

Because the planning guides are general in nature, readers should also review their agency human resources management policies, practices, and guidance to understand specific actions and flexibilities they have available to them during a pandemic health crisis.

The planning activities in these Planning Guides and Agency Strategies supplement existing all-hazard emergency/business contingency planning guidance that can be found at www.pandemicflu.gov.

We also have distilled the critical roles and responsibilities of agencies, employees, and supervisors in the event of a pandemic health crisis.

Agency Roles and Responsibilities

• Provide resources for training and testing
• Ensure communication systems work
• Develop guidance on protecting sensitive information and providing for contingency hiring

Supervisory Roles and Responsibilities

• Plan for short- and long-term disruptions
• Stay in constant touch with employees and leadership
• Know where to find information and help on human resources issues

Employee Roles and Responsibilities

• Be ready for alternative work arrangements
• Protect sensitive information
• Stay in constant touch with management