Flexible Workplace Arrangements Program

I.PURPOSE

This document describes the CDC⁽¹⁾ Flexible Workplace Arrangements Program (FWAP) established in cooperation with the Executive Partnership Council (EPC). The FWAP allows, in specific circumstances, civil service employees to work in their homes or another alternate duty station. Formerly, work at home was limited to conditions set forth in the rescinded DHHS Personnel Instruction 300-2, "Pay for Work at Home." The Circular PHS: 600-1 permits employees to participate in FWAP on either a short-term or long-term basis subject to the basic policies and conditions stated in the Circular.

II. INTRODUCTION

In 1990, the President's Council on Management Improvement (PCMI) sponsored a government-wide pilot project to test the feasibility of permitting Federal employees to work at home or at other approved sites away from the office for all or part of the work week. The final report of this pilot project recommended that PCMI endorse the concept of flexible workplace arrangements, affirm that agencies have the authority to enter into these arrangements, yet alert agencies that flexible workplace arrangements are not appropriate in all circumstances. This policy guidance establishes procedures that CDC and ATSDR may use in considering employee requests to work either at home or at a telecommuting center established by the General Services Administration (GSA).

President Clinton, in a July 11, 1994, memorandum, directed each executive department and agency to establish a program to encourage and support the expansion of flexible family-friendly work arrangements including telecommuting and satellite work locations. Work suitable for the FWAP depends on job content rather than on job title, type of appointment, or work schedule. For example, the FWAP is feasible for work such as data analysis, reviewing grants or cases, and writing decisions or reports. The FWAP may also possibly be used by persons engaged in computer-oriented tasks such as data entry, word processing, or programming. Telephone-intensive tasks such as setting up conferences, obtaining information, and following up on participants in a study are also functions which could lend themselves to being performed under the FWAP. Positions in the now concluded government-wide pilot program included those of writer/editor, scientist, investigator, psychologist, environmental engineer, budget analyst, and computer specialist.

The FWAP may not be suitable for work in which an employee needs to have extensive face-to-face contact with supervisors, other employees, organization customers, or the general public. Other factors which would tend to forestall FWAP participation include a need for access to equipment or material which cannot be moved from the official work station, a need for special facilities to perform a job, or a prohibitive cost for an agency to duplicate the same level of confidentiality or security at the alternative workplace as exists at the employee's official work station.

III. REFERENCES

A. Guidelines for Pilot Flexible Workplace Arrangements, PCMI, July 1990

B. Final Report, The Federal Flexible Workplace Pilot Project Work-at-Home Component, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, January 1993

C. PHS Circular 600-1, PHS Flexible Workplace Arrangements Program, April 1995

D. President Clinton's memorandum of July 11, 1994, on family-friendly work arrangements

IV. REQUIREMENTS

A. Criteria for Participation

1. This program covers part-time and full-time permanent CDC civilian employees .

2. Employee participation in FWAP is voluntary and subject to management approval. Only employees performing at the fully successful level or at a higher performance level may participate in a flexible workplace arrangement.

3. FWAP is applicable to work that is performed away from an employee's official duty station on a long-term basis--more than two consecutive work weeks. The program may be used to accommodate an employee's temporary or continuing illness or disability if the employee is capable of performing his/her job at home or at a telecommuting center.

4. FWAP may also be used when there is a compelling reason for an employee to work at home on a special assignment/project on a short-term basis--two consecutive work weeks or less.

5. Available resources within each CIO to supply the necessary equipment is a consideration in determining approval for FWAP.

6. Employees must be able to work independently without close supervision and should not be trainees or serving probationary periods.

7. The position must allow for measurable output and evaluation of productivity when the employee is at the alternate duty station.

8. The position must not require daily face-to-face interaction with clients or co-workers or use of equipment or records that are not accessible at the alternate duty station.

B. Policy

1. Any barriers to implementing FWAP must be identified and action should be taken to increase the opportunities for employees in suitable positions to participate in FWAP.

2. All periods of participation in FWAP, both on a long-term and short-term basis, must be approved in advance. (See Exhibit I for a sample format to request participation in FWAP.) Participation in FWAP may be terminated at any time either by request of the employee or at the decision of management.

3. An agency-employee agreement (see Exhibit II) is always required before a civil service employee may participate in FWAP on a long-term basis--more than two consecutive work weeks.

4. An employee participating in FWAP on a short-term basis, two consecutive work weeks or less, will not be required to complete an employee-agency agreement. In such instances, the immediate supervisor must certify in writing to the second-level supervisor that it is possible for the work to be performed at home. A copy of the approved request should be sent to the FWAP Coordinator in HRMO.

5. An employee's request for participation in the program based on an injury or illness must be supported by appropriate medical documentation.

6. All pertinent time and attendance, leave, and pay regulations must be observed by employees and managers when an employee participates in FWAP. Overtime, compensatory time, and credit time are to be approved in advance by existing procedures.

7. An employee participating in FWAP on a long-term basis must work a minimum of one day every two consecutive work weeks at the official duty station unless medical documentation supports that he/she is physically unable to do so.

8. Employees participating in FWAP may work an approved alternative work schedule if the schedule is consistent with the nature of the work being performed and the frequency of communication necessary with those at the official duty station or with work contacts in other locations.

9. Employees working at home or at a telecommuting center must be accessible to management officials, co-workers, and customers. Supervisors must ensure that communication systems are in place to support this access.

10. Performance standards for participating employees must be consistent with those used for employees who perform the same or similar tasks at the official duty station. In addition, supervisors must formulate a means of measuring the quality and quantity of the work performed at the alternate duty station.

11. Suitable training/orientation is required and must be conducted for employees approved for participation and their supervisors before an employee begins long-term participation in FWAP.

12. GSA has established telecommuting centers in various areas (see Exhibit III). The FWAP Coordinator in HRMO coordinates arrangements for an employee to work at one of these centers.

C. Responsibilities

1. The Associate Director for Management and Operations, CDC

a. approving the implementation plan for FWAP

b. approving any exceptions to the plan

c. ensuring compliance with government-wide, DHHS, and PHS policies concerning flexible work arrangements

d. monitoring and evaluating implementation of the FWAP

2. CIO Directors or their designee

a. taking action to remove barriers and increase opportunities for employees in suitable positions to participate in FWAP

b. advising supervisors and employees concerning the implementation of the FWAP

c. designating individual(s) to coordinate FWAP within the CIO

d. approving or disapproving long-term employee participation in FWAP

e. approving modifications of the terms of employee participation in FWAP or terminating employee participation, as necessary, when it is in the interest of CDC

f. notifying the appropriate bargaining unit official in advance of changes

g. coordinating with IRMO the ordering, installation, removal, etc., of government-provided telephone service and/or equipment

3. The CIO FWAP Coordinator

a. disseminating program materials and information

b. reviewing employee requests to participate in FWAP to ensure compliance with pertinent laws, regulations, and policies concerning hours of work, pay, and leave

c. maintaining appropriate documentation concerning program participation (e.g., signed agreements, data for annual reports, etc.)

d. providing day-to-day responsibility and accountability for the program, (i.e., assuring that agreements are completed in a timely manner, appropriate approvals are obtained, employees and their supervisors are trained prior to participation in the program, etc.)

e. forwarding approved agreements to the FWAP Coordinator in HRMO for review prior to implementation (within ten working days)

f. forwarding approved short-term requests to the FWAP Coordinator in HRMO for record maintenance

g. notifying the FWAP Coordinator in HRMO when participation of an employee is terminated

4. Second-level Supervisor

a. approving/disapproving employee requests for short-term participation (less than two consecutive work weeks) in FWAP

b. expeditiously forwarding employee's request to CIO FWAP Coordinator

5. First-line Supervisors

a. reviewing initial employee requests to participate in FWAP, working out details of the agreement with employees, and referring only problems to higher level

b. preparing, with the assistance of the CIO FWAP Coordinator as necessary, an employee-agency agreement for long-term participation (more than two consecutive work weeks) in FWAP

c. discussing each element of the agreement with employee to assure employee understands responsibilities

d. forwarding employee's request to participate in FWAP together with his/her recommendation through appropriate supervisory channels to the CIO FWAP Coordinator.

e. ensuring employee's current performance plan contains measurable performance standards covering the kinds, quality, and quantity of work to be completed at the official duty station as well as work to be completed at the employee's residence or telecommuting center (alternate duty station)

f. reviewing any modification(s) or change(s) to the terms of employee participation in FWAP

6. The FWAP Coordinator, HRM

a. researching problem issues and questions, and providing technical advice on FWAP policies and procedures and pertinent regulations

b. reviewing employee FWAP participation for compliance with legal, regulatory, and any collective bargaining agreement requirements

c. ensuring that employee-agency agreements and agency-GSA agreements are consistent with pertinent laws, regulations and policies concerning participant eligibility, hours of work, pay and leave

d. providing assistance to supervisors and CIO FWAP coordinators as appropriate

e. signing each agreement and maintaining records of employee participation in FWAP

f. arranging, as appropriate, employee use of telecommuting centers

g. consolidating data provided by CIO FWAP coordinators and submitting a quarterly analysis to the CIOs and Executive Partnership Council

D. Restrictions

1. Although participation in FWAP may provide employees more time to accomplish family responsibilities, the program is not to be used by employees to care for children or other dependents during the agreed-upon scheduled hours of work.

2. The work schedule approved for an employee participating in FWAP must be observed. Duty time may not be used for purposes other than official work. The supervisor must be notified in advance of unscheduled absence from the FWAP duty station. Agreed upon sign in/out procedures will be strictly followed.

3. Government equipment in the home is to be used only for government work.

4. The Standards of Conduct continue to apply to the alternate duty station.

1. References to CDC also apply to ATSDR.