WASHINGTON, DC, AREA
EMERGENCY DISMISSAL OR CLOSURE PROCEDURES
Introduction
The following guidelines apply to situations that prevent significant numbers
of employees in the Washington, DC, area from reporting for work on time or
which require agencies to close all or part of their activities, including
adverse weather conditions (snow emergencies, severe icing conditions, floods,
earthquakes, and hurricanes), air pollution, disruption of power and/or water,
interruption of public transportation, and other emergency situations.
These procedures apply to employees (including employees telecommuting from
an alternative worksite) in all executive agencies located inside the Washington
Capital Beltway. These procedures do not apply to employees of the U.S. Postal
Service, the government of the District of Columbia, or private sector entities,
including contractors. Facilities outside the Beltway may prefer to develop
their own plans, since they are subject to different emergency and traffic
conditions than those inside the Beltway. In unusual situations, however, the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may issue guidelines affecting facilities
outside the Beltway, as well.
It is essential that Federal agencies in the metropolitan area comply with
this area-wide plan and the announced decisions on dismissal or closure.
Agencies should avoid independent action because any change in the work hours of
Federal workers in the Washington, DC, area requires careful coordination with
municipal and regional officials to minimize disruption of the highway and
transit systems.
Agencies that find it necessary to exclude certain offices or activities from
this plan should notify OPM of such exemptions and update such notices when
necessary. Application of this guidance must be consistent with the provisions
of applicable collective bargaining agreements or other controlling policies,
authorities, and instructions.
OPMs Responsibilities
- In the Washington, DC, area, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the
Federal Governments point of contact with municipal governments and
regional organizations, such as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority (METRO). OPM officials will consult with appropriate municipal and
regional officials before making a decision on closure, dismissal, or special
leave treatment, and will brief the Director of OPM on highway, transit, and
emergency conditions.
- The Director of OPM will then make a decision on whether to curtail Federal
operations. This decision is based on the need to keep Federal operations
functioning as normally as possible and on concern for the safety of Federal
employees.
- We will notify human resources directors of any decision to close Federal
agencies, any announced "unscheduled leave" or "adjusted home
departure" policy, or any decision to dismiss Federal employees before
the close of the normal workday using the "adjusted work dismissal"
policy. Information will be available on our website at http://www.opm.gov.
We request that all agencies making a different decision notify our Office of
Communications at (202) 606-1800, FAX (202) 606-2264, or email news@opm.gov.
Agencies Responsibilities
- At least annually, agencies should provide written procedures for
emergency dismissal or closure to employees working in the Washington, DC,
area. The notice should tell employees how they will be notified and include
the text of the media announcements to be used and a detailed explanation of
their meaning. The notice also should explain that if an "unscheduled
leave" policy is announced, employees must contact their agencies to
request annual leave, leave without pay, and/or the use of previously earned
compensatory time off or credit hours under an alternative work schedule.
- At least annually, agencies should identify emergency personnel and notify
them in writing that they are designated as "emergency employees."
The term "emergency employee" is used to designate those employees
who must report for work in emergency situations. The notice should include
the requirement that "emergency employees" report for, or remain
at work in emergency situations and an explanation that dismissal or closure
announcements do not apply to them unless they are instructed otherwise. If
an agency determines that a situation requires employees not designated as
"emergency employees" to report for, or remain at work during an
emergency, the agency should establish a procedure for notifying them
individually.
- Agencies are responsible for determining closure, dismissal, and leave
policies for employees on shift work and alternative work schedules (i.e.,
flexible or compressed work schedules) and for informing employees of these
policies.
Emergencies Before the Workday Begins
The Office of Personnel Management will provide one of the following five
announcements to the media when an emergency occurs before the workday begins.
(For additional guidance on excused absence, see the paragraph following this
table.)
Emergency Announcement |
What Announcement Means |
Additional Guidance |
1. "Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are
OPEN for business as usual. Employees are expected to report for work on time." |
Federal agencies will open on time, and employees are expected to
report for work as scheduled. |
Agencies should be as flexible as possible in approving annual leave or
LWOP for employees who face emergency situations or other hardships (e.g.,
when schools/child care centers open late or are closed). |
2. "Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN
for business as usual under an
UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. Employees may take leave without prior
approval." |
Federal agencies will open on time, but employees not designated as
"emergency employees" may take annual leave or leave without pay
(LWOP) without the prior approval of their supervisors. "Emergency
employees" are expected to report for work on time. |
Employees must inform their supervisors if they plan to take annual
leave or LWOP. If an employee fails to report for work and has not
informed the supervisor of his or her plans to take leave, the agency may
charge the employee absence without leave (AWOL). |
3. "Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN
for business as usual under an
ADJUSTED HOME DEPARTURE policy. Employees are requested to leave home ##
hours later than their normal departure time." |
Federal agencies will open on time, but employees not designated as
"emergency employees" should adjust their normal home departure
time consistent with the announcement. Employees who arrive late for work
will be excused without loss of pay or charge to leave. Agencies have
discretionary authority to determine the amount of excused absence to
grant in such cases. "Emergency employees" are expected to
report for work on time. |
Agencies may use OPMs "Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules,
December 1996" (section 12, "Flexible Work Schedules,"
paragraph 1) to determine the normal arrival time of employees on flexible work
schedules. The handbook is available on OPMs website at http://www.opm.gov/oca/aws.
|
Emergency Announcement |
What Announcement Means |
Additional Guidance
|
4. "Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN
for business as usual under an ADJUSTED HOME DEPARTURE/ UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. Employees are requested to leave home ##
hours later than their normal departure time. Employees may take leave
without prior approval."
|
Federal agencies will open on time, but employees not designated as
"emergency employees" should adjust their normal home departure
time consistent with the announcement. Employees who arrive late for work
will be excused without loss of pay or charge to leave. Agencies have
discretionary authority to determine the amount of excused absence to
grant in such cases. Employees may take annual leave or LWOP without the
prior approval of their supervisors. "Emergency employees" are
expected to report for work on time. |
Employees must inform their supervisors if they plan to take annual
leave or LWOP. Employees who take leave will be charged leave for the
entire workday.
Agencies may use OPMs "Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules,
December 1996" (section 12, "Flexible Work Schedules,"
paragraph 1) to determine the normal departure time of employees on flexible work
schedules. The handbook is available on OPMs website at http://www.opm.gov/oca/aws.
|
5. "Federal agencies are CLOSED." |
Employees not designated as "emergency employees" (including
telecommuting employees at an alternative work site) are excused from duty
without loss of pay or charge to leave. "Emergency employees"
are expected to report for work on time.
|
Workdays on which a Federal activity is closed are nonworkdays for
leave purposes. Employees who are on approved leave before the closure
must be granted excused absence. This does not apply to employees on LWOP,
military leave, suspension, or in a nonpay status.
Employees on alternative work schedules (AWS) are not entitled
to another AWS day off "in lieu of" the workday on which the
agency is closed. |
Excused AbsenceAgencies may excuse an employee without loss of pay or
charge to leave (i.e., grant a reasonable amount of excused absence) if the
employee is unavoidably delayed in arriving for work. Factors such as distance,
availability of transportation, the need to make alternative child care
arrangements, and the success of other employees in similar situations should be
considered in determining the amount of excused absence to grant. However,
employees have no entitlement to excused absence. Agencies must
notify employees of the procedures to be followed in this situation.
Emergencies During Normal Work Hours
When an emergency situation occurs during normal work hours, OPM may announce
that Federal agencies in the Washington, DC, area are operating under an "ADJUSTED
WORK DISMISSAL" policy. When this announcement is made, employees
should be dismissed relative to their normal departure times from work. For
example, if a 3-hour "ADJUSTED WORK DISMISSAL" policy is
announced, workers who normally leave their offices at
5:00 p.m. would be authorized to leave at 2:00 p.m. (For additional guidance
on excused absence, see the paragraph following the table below.)
How is leave handled when OPM announces an "ADJUSTED WORK
DISMISSAL" policy?
Employee Action |
Leave Policy |
Employee is on duty. |
Agency should grant excused absence for the remainder of the workday
following the employees authorized time of dismissal even if the
employee is scheduled to take leave later in the day. |
Employee leaves before official announcement of "ADJUSTED WORK
DISMISSAL" policy or before the time set for his or her
dismissal. |
The agency should charge leave for the remainder of the workday
following the time of the employees departure.
|
Employee is scheduled to return from leave after official announcement
of "ADJUSTED WORK DISMISSAL" policy, but before the time
set for his or her dismissal. |
The agency should grant excused absence for the remainder of the
workday following the time of the official announcement through the
remainder of the workday, even if the employee is scheduled to take leave
again later in the workday. |
Employee is telecommuting at an alternative worksite. |
Agency should grant excused absence for the remainder of the workday
following what would be the employees authorized time of dismissal. |
Employee is absent on previously approved leave (annual, sick, or leave
without pay (LWOP)) for the entire workday. |
The agency should continue to charge the employee leave for the entire
workday. |
Employee fails to report for work. |
The agency should charge AWOL or permit the employee to request annual
leave, sick leave, or LWOP, as appropriate, for the entire workday.
Exceptions to this policy should be made only in unusual circumstances. |
Excused AbsenceAgencies may excuse an employee without loss of pay or
charge to leave (i.e., grant a reasonable amount of excused absence) to avoid
hardships. For example, excused absence may be granted to employees who need to
leave before official announcement of an "Adjusted Work Dismissal"
policy or before the employees authorized time of dismissal because younger
children are released from school/child care centers earlier than the announced
dismissal time and no alternative forms of child care are available. However,
employees have no entitlement to excused absence. Agencies must notify
employees of the procedures to be followed in these situations.
Last Modified: 3:52:16 PM on Thursday, September 04, 2003
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