Most federal workers will report to the office Monday -- as the rest of the country isolates itself

[RandySF]

Sunday night, in response to mounting criticism, the Trump administration urged agencies in the Washington area to “offer maximum telework flexibilities” to employees who are eligible for remote work.

The guidance followed a recommendation from the acting White House budget director Friday that limited telework to the elderly, pregnant or those with health risks. But Sunday’s directive was not mandatory, and it left out most of the government. Just 15 percent of the federal workforce is in the D.C. area.

It did not make allowances for Lauri Dahlem, a legal assistant at the Social Security Administration’s disability hearings office in Lansing, Mich., who prepares cases for administrative judges.

Her work can all be done electronically, she said. And with a husband recovering from complications from a stem cell transplant to treat lymphoma, she asked to telework. She is worried about infecting him. She said the answer was no.

“My supervisor said I was exempted because I’m only taking care of someone who’s sick,” ­Dahlem, an Army veteran and former military police officer, said Sunday. “I want to work. I’m a very capable worker. It’s insane.” As of Friday, the eight administrative law judges in her office were still hearing cases face to face.

The government’s pandemic response has left many government managers and their staffs on edge.




https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/most-federal-workers-will-report-to-the-office-monday--as-the-rest-of-the-country-isolates-itself/2020/03/15/d7915324-66cc-11ea-abef-020f086a3fab_story.html

[ProfessorGAC]

1. We Sure?

Aside from the schools, which are closed, I know nobody who isn't going to work except a few who could be fully productive from home.
The refinery 10 miles from my house, and all the power plants have workers going in.
Perhaps a lot of these folks could work from home, but probably not all.

[Igel]

4. At least in Houstons, some teachers aren't exempt.

They have required training in preparation for their districts' roll-out of distance lesson presenting.

(I can't call it distance learning, since learning is not what'll be taking place. Even "distance teaching" is a stretch, since while one meaning is "presenting content adequate for others to learn," in the past tense it means "having presented content so that others *did* learn" and that's just not going to happen.

(I think distance learning is completely reasonable for some classes. If you're in an AP class and still on the hook for the AP test in May, you're motivated. If it's dual credit and you're getting college credit, sure. But if you're a senior in an on-level course required for graduation but which you find completely useless, which is to say, you're a senior in an on-level course, you've been checked out and it's required frequent in-person prompting to get you to do anything. Juniors, not much better.)

Texas, I've heard, just had its spring standardized testing cancelled. https://www.easttexasmatters.com/health/coronavirus/gov-abbott-waives-staar-testing-requirements-requests-suspension-of-federal-requirements-as-well/

(Which means ... I have no idea. It's one thing to cancel it for, say, 7th grade. You fail it, you might be held back. But to cancel the test for biology, a primarily freshman course? ... Does that mean those students *never* take it, take it next year? What about those who failed it last year and were retaking it this year? Do they get a free pass after failing it the first two or three times?

(Mind you, I think standardized testing is a great thing, except that Campbell's law still holds: Make standardized testing a thing for the purpose of providing feedback on how well a random sample of what students should have learned was learned, great. But it immediately becomes the universe of content required for "real learning", many students are taught just what's on the test and class time is spent on mastering the test taking process as a really important skill, and passing the test is equated with "having learned" so that student non-success--none dare call it "student failure"--becomes evidence of teacher incompetence.)

[MissB]

2. My husband would be working from home with me

But he was on grand jury duty recently and has been called back to hear more witnesses in a case.

So he’ll be stuck with some folks in a room all day. I had him pack a lunch since we weren’t sure if there were restaurants open for lunches downtown.

[The Polack MSgt]

3. No change to my schedule yet either. Yet

As a contractor, putting me on a teleworking schedule is simple.

For the GS folks there are tighter guidelines and paper work that needs done - All my division is either in the process of getting telework approval, or just completed it.

One big issue for us is access to the secure network (SiPRNet) - we cannot do classified work over commercial internet.

So leadership is looking at rotating half the division daily so that everyone gets access to SiPR 5 out of 10 days, and the cube farm isn't crowded

I think we should also split the shifts into a day/swing schedule so the 4 man cubes only have one person in it at a time

[Igel]

5. Our trash was picked up today.

My prescription was refilled.

The store's shelves are restocked with stuff trucked to the store this morning and moved to distribution centers in the last 3-4 days.

Some people can more easily isolate themselves than others because they're retired or the services they provide are suspended. Teachers, for instance. Or wait staff in many restaurants. Or, soon, laid off food service supply folk. I've been told that this is a privilege to be checked (which is presumably "be grateful for", but presented in a hostile manner).

Some can't.

If we really isolated everybody, we'd all need 3-4 months' supply of non-perishable food, a cistern full of water, and camp stoves with natural gas canisters for the duration. Otherwise, some people will have to go to work. Those who can telecommute are luckier, but they also produce nothing but the electronic equivalent of paperwork.