The Obama administration’s Office of Personnel Management is encouraging federal workers to work from home if it’s too hot to go to the office.
OPM Acting Director Beth Cobert released a memo late last week warning that the severe heat and humidity seen so far this summer makes it “necessary for us all to take precautions and protect ourselves and our family’s health and well-being.”
OPM, which serves as the government’s HR department, said it was reminding agencies about “what they can do to protect all federal workers during potentially dangerous heat waves.” One of those actions is to let workers stay home.
“If your supervisor approves, telework-ready employees may telework from home on a day when air quality conditions are poor,” Cobert wrote.
“If your agency policies allow, an employee working a flexible work schedule may elect to adjust when they come to work and when they leave in order to avoid commuting during the hottest period of the day,” she added. “Employees can also ask for annual leave, earned compensatory time or credit hours on a day when severe heat and humidity are threatening their health and welfare.”
OPM also reminded federal workers to stay inside as much as they can, wear light-colored clothing and “drink more water than usual.”
“I know that all federal employees are dedicated and committed to doing all they can to serve the American people,” she wrote. “At the same time, we all must be mindful of protecting our health during severe weather events — whether cold and storm during winter or the kind of high temperatures and humidity we’ve been experiencing this summer.”
