Succession Planning

1

Overview of OPMs Pandemic Guidance
UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
2
Office of Personnel Management Taskings

• Provide guidance on human capital management and
  COOP planning criteria
• Update telework guides

3
On-line Guidance

• Policy Guidance
• Telework Guide
• Information for Employees
• Questions Answers
• Fact Sheets
• Planning Guides
• Agency Strategies
• Workforce Data Collection

http//www.opm.gov/pandemic/index.asp
http//www.opm.gov/pandemic/index.asp
4
Key Principles

• Federal departments and agencies must
  achieve two equally important goals
• (1) protect the Federal workforce, and
• (2) ensure the continuity of operations.
• Agencies should accomplish their missions
  through appropriate means, including voluntary
  telework arrangements and the designation of an
  employees home as a safe haven for the purpose
  of receiving evacuation payments.
• OPM believes combining evacuation payments and
  telework will reduce the need to use excused
  absences (i.e., administrative leave), which
  should be regarded as a last resort in dealing
  with a pandemic heath crisis.

5
Planning Issues

• Identify staffing needs, mission-critical
  positions, and contingency plans
• Communicate with workforce
• Consult and bargain with exclusive
  representatives of bargaining units
• Incorporate into existing agency policies
• Telework
• Evacuation Payments
• Leave and work schedules
• Practice drills and tests
• Ensure supervisors and managers understand plans,
  policies, and issues

6
Hiring Issues

• Fully utilize your current workforce
• When practical, utilize recent retirees
• Identify skill sets
• Collect contact information
• Utilize existing hiring authorities
• Government-wide
• Including 30-Day Emergency Appointments
• Direct Hire
• Agency Specific
• Schedule A and B (Excepted Service)
• Direct Hire
• OPM prepared to issue the following, when
  appropriate
• 1-year temporary appointments (Excepted Service)
• Critical hiring need or severe shortage direct
  hire authority
• Waiver of salary offset for reemployed annuitants
  and buyout repayment for reemployed buyout
  recipients (at agency request)

7
Pay and Leave Issues

• Normal pay and leave provisions apply
• Sick leave may be used for personal medical care,
  family medical care, bereavement, and exposure to
  a communicable disease
• New regulation removes requirement for employees
  to maintain a minimum sick leave balance in order
  to use maximum amount of sick leave for family
  care or bereavement
• Unpaid leave available under Family and Medical
  Leave Act
• Consider agency authorized Voluntary Leave
  Transfer/Bank Programs
• OPM may establish an Emergency Leave Transfer
  Program

8
Evacuation Payments

• Agency official may order employees to evacuate
  regular worksite and provide evacuation payments
• Employees may be required to work from safe
  haven, such as home or an alternate location
• Promotes social distancing
• Employees may be assigned any work for which they
  have the appropriate knowledge, skill or ability,
  without regard to employees grade or title
• Evacuation pay based on regular rate of pay,
  including allowances, differentials, and other
  authorized payments
• May continue up to 180 days
• Agency Head may grant additional special
  allowance payments to offset direct added
  expenses incidental to evacuation

9
Labor Relations Issues

• Maintain open communications with exclusive
  representatives
• Collective bargaining rights, agreements, and
  representational duties
• Some may be suspended during an emergency, if
  necessary
• Such actions could result in post-implementation
  bargaining

10
Telework Issues

• Ensure agency telework policy includes guidelines
  for pandemic health crisis
• Make maximum use of routine telework to
  accomplish mission
• Implement telework agreements with employees who
  are needed to telework from home during emergency
  situations
• Test telework procedures and infrastructure

11
Workforce Data Collection

• Provides ongoing picture of Governments capacity
  to function and highlights needs
• Maintains focus on employee care and welfare
• Four data requirements
• Reported by Payroll Systems
• Number of total employees
• Number of employees working
• Reported by Agency HR Office
• Number of employees teleworking
• Number of employee deaths

12
What To Do If Someone Appears Ill With Pandemic
Influenza
Draft
Express concern that employee appears to be ill
with flu-like symptoms encourage employee to
take leave to seek medical care.
YES
NO
Advise that you have determined the employee is
incapable of working and he or she can request
leave or an adverse action will be initiated.
Do you have a reasonable belief based upon
objective evidence of employee's incapacity to
work?
YES
NO
YES
YES
NO
NO
Order employee to leave and place on excused
absence. Begin adverse action procedures
NO
YES
YES
Order employee to leave and place on excused
absence. Consult with HR on next steps
NO
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Summary

• OPM guidance is easy to use and available
  on-line
• http//www.opm.gov/pandemic/index.asp
• Few new policies, but agencies must be flexible
  and creative when using authorities
• Policies designed to maintain a safe workplace
  while accomplishing the agencys mission, will be
  updated as appropriate
• Employee Guide being developed