Feds already given unscheduled leave for tomorrow! (banquet)

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

Mine agency either for the most part. We have a special network that we operate on (very closed and secure). In order for me to work at home as effectively as I do at my desk, I have to have a laptop that has been set up to work with that network and, NO, it cannot be my personal laptop.

The only thing I can do at home is check my e-mail and access some of our financial systems that are web based. I cannot get to any of my drives nor does my e-mail operate normally (I cannot send attachments for the webmail). So, the only way that I can work at home is if I find some project that is not dependent on my special work computer. That doesn't always happen.

This is how it is for my husband, he has his work laptop and the special key or whatever it is he needs and just hardwires into our modem but he is very limited on what he can do.

We wondered how many people would take advantage of the liberal leave today and he said there were only about 20 people on his bus this morning and on Tuesdays it is usually packed. It is kinda sad to see people abusing the system at 5 there was just alittle bit of drizzle out here definately not enough to give liberal leave IMO.

[ajzjmsmom]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

I don't necessarily think it's an "older" mentality. It certainly is due to a wary management (who often happen to be older). I have several people in my office who telework regularly (once a pay period) and they often have about 2 hours work that they take home with them. They have been caught not being there and then saying "oh, I forgot to tell you I had a doctor's appt--I meant to tell you." They scam big time and it's tough to watch. Many of the supervisors are sick of the mentality and have really come down hard on it.

On the other side, though, there are people who do what they are supposed to do.

These are probably the same people who use their annual and sick leave indiscriminately.

My husband always says he could get more work done if he could telework because he wouldn't have as many interruptions at home as he does at work.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by ajzjmsmom

This is how it is for my husband, he has his work laptop and the special key or whatever it is he needs and just hardwires into our modem but he is very limited on what he can do.

We wondered how many people would take advantage of the liberal leave today and he said there were only about 20 people on his bus this morning and on Tuesdays it is usually packed. It is kinda sad to see people abusing the system at 5 there was just alittle bit of drizzle out here definately not enough to give liberal leave IMO.

Yes, my parking garage was beautiful this morning.

Fortunately, unscheduled leave doesn't really hurt anyone but the person taking the leave so I can't get to upset about it.

And I also know that I travel in from the south where we are usually much warmer. I did hear that they had some slippery roads in Montgomery County so I can't blame folks from that area not wanting to risk it.

Tomorrow will be interesting.

[mdcrim]

My husband got up at his normal time (4:30am) to get ready for work, looked outside and confirmed he was out of here (in Ashburn). Needless to say, he slid his car down to the bottom of our driveway, narrowly avoiding hitting mine and decided that unscheduled leave wouldn't be so bad today. He said the driveway/ roadway was a sheet of ice. No four wheel drive vehicle is going to help that situation. So, it may not look like much of anything, but apparently it's pretty bad...

[jillabean]

I know the OPM doesn't really care (since this isn't their main focus), but it's kind of nice when the OPM calls telecommuting, etc. because a lot of small private sector companies often just goes by what the OPM does. That's what my job does anyway. It's nice because even if a accrue all the vacation time I can, I only have 10 days a year. I'd like to use that to go to the beach or something, not sit in my house and watch the snow

I think I do my best brainstorming and idea generation at the "home office."

[NYmama2dallas]

I just wanted to add that it is pretty easy for families with young children to burn through their federal leave as they earn it (kids in daycare get sick often and there are strict rules about when they can return after a fever etc., plus school-age kids care when school closes) --especially if they have only been with the agency a few years and aren't earning as much time off as older workers. Also, parents of babies use up all saved leave to try to get a few weeks of paid time after the birth.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by NYmama2dallas

I just wanted to add that it is pretty easy for families with young children to burn through their federal leave as they earn it (kids in daycare get sick often and there are strict rules about when they can return after a fever etc., plus school-age kids care when school closes) --especially if they have only been with the agency a few years and aren't earning as much time off as older workers. Also, parents of babies use up all saved leave to try to get a few weeks of paid time after the birth.

Yes, I know. Been there, done that. Had two kids plus my own cancer diagnosis! I went a long time without much leave and I have people around me in similar situations. Then you have a good percentage of people who are NOT in the situations who take off for any reason they can find. Then when the crap hits the fan, they having NOTHING.

[justtitans]

Okay I'm not coming on here to start an argument but I have a serious question for you all. If people would be upset that the government would have let us off last Wednesday because of the snow then why is there not the a similar outrage for being given unscheduled leave/telework on a storm that had not even happened at the time that the decision was made? I mean if you really think about it, if people have the freedom to take unscheduled leave (whether their supervisor like it or not), then is anymore work really being done on a day like this as opposed to having a day off? I know some people will still work on a day off, so if people have the freedom to take the day off anyway then what's the difference?

To me, I get concerned as a federal employee because I believe people support these decisions more on the fact of what we end up losing (leave, money) as opposed to the fact that work is not being done. That is backwards logic to me and speaks to the issues people currently have with the government. For me, to be a taxpayer, I don't care how the work is being done, I just want the work done, so if people are still taking off and not doing work on unscheduled leave then where's the outcry? This is all political. Saying unscheduled leave just sounds nicer but in reality it really isn't a huge difference from being off, especially if people have a huge amount of leave. OPM is walking a tight-rope and they are leaning towards the tax payers than the employees. I don't care about having days like this off, but I do have a problem with unrealistic expectations that people cry about work not getting done when we are off when the same can be said for days like this. I don't want people to complain, I just don't understand what people real motivation for being upset if the results are going to be the same regardless of what OPM decides.

[ChristineVA]

The outrage is that non-goverment workers get REALLY ticked off if government workers get any perceived "freebie." Last year, during the massive snow, the outrage was incredible because we shut down, got all that time off paid for, despite the fact that many people did telework when they didn't have to.

Last week, I think OPM tried to be careful about being to generous based on last year's backlash. So they give 2 hours. That backfired for the rest of the commuting world plus, if you ever read any other forums about federal workers, private workers were PO'd that we "got" 2 hours off.

No one can get upset with unschedule leave. Most people who are leave abusers won't take it because they can't, and even if someone does take advantage of it, it comes out of the employee's pocket and not the taxpayer's pocket.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

The outrage is that non-goverment workers get REALLY ticked off if government workers get any perceived "freebie." Last year, during the massive snow, the outrage was incredible because we shut down, got all that time off paid for, despite the fact that many people did telework when they didn't have to.

Last week, I think OPM tried to be careful about being to generous based on last year's backlash. So they give 2 hours. That backfired for the rest of the commuting world plus, if you ever read any other forums about federal workers, private workers were PO'd that we "got" 2 hours off.

No one can get upset with unschedule leave. Most people who are leave abusers won't take it because they can't, and even if someone does take advantage of it, it comes out of the employee's pocket and not the taxpayer's pocket.

And I agree with you on this and that's my point. Is it about the money or is it about the work? IT SHOULD be about the work, but I never hear that complaint because regardless if we work or not, tax payers are still going to get the same amount taken out (unless legislation is passed to change it). So if I'm paying for $500 of work on something, I would rather get 80 hours of work than 70 hours. I mean that would be my thought process. Tax payers aren't necessarily paying taxes directly on how much we work. I just think the logic of the complaints is ridiculous.