This notice provides guidelines in the event of an emergency, early dismissal or facility closure in the Washington, DC area due to adverse weather conditions or other disruptions of Government operations (e.g., disruption of power, water, etc.). Typically, severe weather is the most likely emergency circumstance warranting early dismissal or facility closure. SBA will follow the U. S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) policy on government closings whenever disruptions in Government operations occur.
Decisions on closing Federal facilities before the workday begins or the dismissal of employees early during the workday in progress apply to all of the Federal facilities in the Washington, DC area. For disruptions identified prior to the beginning of the workday, OPM will provide an announcement to local news media and will post the status on their website at: http://www.opm.gov/status.
OPM closure or dismissal announcements do not apply to individuals who have been designated as emergency employees. Emergency employees are employees who a manager identifies and considers to be necessary to continue agency operations in any given emergency situation. Emergency employees are expected to report to work on time and to continue Government operations. However, under certain circumstances, a supervisor may grant an excused absence for an emergency employee based on individual hardship or circumstances unique to the employee.
An early dismissal and temporary facility closure does NOT activate the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and the COOP essential personnel designated under that plan. COOP is intended to address emergency threat situations and will be activate, if necessary, by specific notification to the essential personnel identified in the COOP Plan.
Employees are strongly encouraged to monitor their local news media (e.g., radio, television, newspaper) and to visit the OPM website (http://www.opm.gov/status) for Federal operating status in the Washington, DC area. In addition, employees can obtain recorded messages from OPM regarding the operating status on (202) 606-1900.
Guidelines:
I. DISRUPTIONS BEFORE THE WORKDAY BEGINS
OPM will provide one of the following five announcements to the media when a disruption occurs before the workday begins. These announcements DO NOT apply to individuals who are designated as emergency employees. Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time unless excused by their supervisors.
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Announcement |
What Announcement Means |
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1. “Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN.” |
Employees are expected to report to their worksites or begin telework on time. Normal operating procedures are in effect. |
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2. “Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN and employees have the OPTION for UNSCHEDULED LEAVE OR UNSCHEDULED TELEWORK.” |
Employees who cannot report for work may request unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework for their entire scheduled workday. Employees must notify their supervisors of their intent to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. Teleworkers who are regularly scheduled to perform telework or who notify their supervisors of their intention to perform unscheduled telework must be prepared to telework for the entire workday, or take unscheduled leave, or a combination of both, for the entire workday. Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time. |
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3. “Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN under XX HOUR(S) DELAYED ARRIVAL and employees have the OPTION FOR UNSCHEDULED LEAVE OR UNSCHEDULED TELEWORK. Employees should plan to arrive for work no more than xx hour(s) later than they would normally arrive.” |
Employees should plan their commutes so they arrive for work no more than xx hours later than they would normally arrive. Employees who arrive for work more than xx hours later than their normal arrival time will be charged annual leave or leave without pay for the additional period of absence from work. Employees who report to their offices will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for up to XX hours(s) past their expected arrival time. Employees must notify their supervisors of their intent to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. Teleworkers who are regularly scheduled to perform telework or who notify their supervisors of their intention to perform unscheduled telework must be prepared to telework for the entire workday, or take unscheduled leave, or a combination of both, for the entire workday. Employees on pre-approved leave for the entire workday or employees who requested unscheduled leave should be charged leave for the entire day. Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time. |
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4. “Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN. Employees should depart XX HOUR(S) earlier than their normal departure times and may request UNSCHEUDULED LEAVE to depart prior to their staggered departure times.” |
Employees will be dismissed from their office early relative to their normal departure times from work and will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the number of hours remaining in their workday beyond their designated early departure time. Employees who must leave work earlier than their early dismissal time will be charged annual leave or leave without pay from the time of their departure through the remainder of their regularly scheduled workday. Employees on pre-approved leave for the entire workday or employees who requested unscheduled leave should be charged leave for the entire day. Teleworkers may be expected to continue to work from their telework sites, as specified in their telework agreements. Emergency employees are expected to remain at their worksites. |
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5. “Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are OPEN. Employees should depart XX HOUR(S) earlier than their normal departure times and may request UNSCHEDULED LEAVE to depart prior to their staggered departure times. All employees MUST DEPART at no later than XX: XX at which time FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC area are CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.” |
Employees will be dismissed relative to their normal departure times and will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the number of hours remaining in their workdays beyond their staggered departure time. Employees whose staggered departure times are later than the final departure time should depart from their offices at the final departure time. Employees on pre-approved leave for the entire workday or employees who requested unscheduled leave should be charged leave for the entire day. Teleworkers may be expected to work from their telework sites, as specified in their telework agreements.
Emergency employees are expected to remain at their worksites. |
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6. “IMMEDIATE DEPARTURE. Employees should depart IMMEDIATELY. FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC area are CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.” |
Employees should depart immediately from their offices. Employees will be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the number of hours remaining in their workday. Employees who depart before an immediate departure policy is announced should be charged annual leave or leave without pay beginning at the time the employee left work for the remainder of their scheduled workday. Employees scheduled to return from leave after an immediate departure is announced are to be charged leave for the period prior to the immediate departure time and granted excused absence for the remainder of the workday following the immediate departure time. Teleworkers may be expected to work from their telework sites, as specified in their telework agreements. Emergency employees are expected to remain at their worksites. Employees on alternative work schedules are not entitled to another AWS day off in lieu of the workday on which the agency is closed. |
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7. “FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.” |
Federal agencies in the Washington, DC area are closed. Non-emergency employees (including employees on pre-approved leave) will be granted excused absence for the number of hours they were scheduled to work. This does not apply to employees on leave without pay, leave without pay for military duty, workers’ compensation, suspension, or in another non-pay status. Teleworkers may be expected to work from their telework sites, as specified in their telework agreements. Emergency employees are expected to report for work on time. Employees on alternative work schedules are not entitled to another AWS day off in lieu of the workday on which the agency is closed. |
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8. “FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC area are under SHELTER-IN-PLACE procedures and are CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.” |
All employees should remain in their designated safe area until they are notified by agency officials when they may return to their offices or leave their worksites. Employees who are unable to enter their buildings due to shelter-in-place procedures should be granted excused absence (administrative leave) for the duration of the announcement. Teleworkers may be expected to work from their telework sites, as specified in their telework agreements. |
II. EMERGENCY SITUATIONS THAT RESTRICT EMPLOYEES TO THEIR AGENCY’S PREMISES – “SHELTER IN PLACE”
In an emergency, employees may be restricted to their agency’s premises for periods extending beyond their normal tour of duty. Most employees will not be entitled to any additional pay for this extended period. However, emergency employees who are required to remain in a state of readiness to perform work during this extended period may be entitled to overtime pay for standby duty.
For additional information regarding “Shelter in Place,” click here.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
To obtain more information on OPM’s announcements and operating status, click here.
For any other question regarding dismissal and closure procedures, please contact your organization’s servicing human resources office.
Kevin E. Mahoney
Chief Human Capital Officer
