Last week’s snowstorm offered lessons learned for the Office of Personnel Management as the Washington, D.C., region faces freezing ice and sleet on Tuesday, said OPM Director John Berry in an interview with the DorobekINSIDER.…
WTOP\'s Adam Tuss and WFED\'s Mike Causey assess OPM\'s call to call an early dismissal Wednesday and a late arrival Thursday due to snow.
Following Wednesday evening\'s heavy snow fall, Federal News Radio is polling feds on how much the weather affected their commute.
The speed of Wednesday\'s snowstorm and the fact that some federal employees didn\'t heed the two-hour dismissal collided to form a \"perfect storm\" of gridlock on the roads, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry tells Federal News Radio. Berry says he always makes decisions on the operating status of the government by considering the safety of federal employees and how to maintain operations of the federal government to the greatest extent possible.
Federal employees in the Washington D.C. area have some extra time, if needed, to get to work this morning. The Office of Personnel Management announced a two-hour delay for those feds after snow and ice blanketed the area last night. The Baltimore Federal Executive Board has announced that agencies under its purview are closed.
Every time it snows in Washington people in high places rediscover the joys of teleworking. So what are the odds you will be working from home in the next couple of years? Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says don\'t sell your car just yet.
The recent passage of the Telework Enhancement Act substantially changes the status of telework throughout government. But how? We get details from Dr. Scott Overmyer, author of a new study.
When feds walk out the door, sometimes security goes out the window.
Amidst all the other turbulence on Capitol Hill last year, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) was renovating - on a scale not seen in over fifty years. That project brought two hearing rooms into the twenty-first century, replacing bare-bones 1960-vintage microphones and equipment with state-of-the-art audio and video systems. This new gear provided the Committee with greatly-improved capability to broadcast hearings and markups, and added new powerful features as well. The new setup includes multi-function touch screens for members at their places on the dais, which lets them follow Floor action, quickly access PowerPoint, memos and documents presented during hearings, get messages, and pull up additional reference materials. But the biggest change is the new video teleconferencing built into the system. \"Tandberg CODEC gear with multipoint capabilities can be routed to these Committee rooms as required. The House of Representatives\' Recording Studio coordinates all our inbound and outbound broadcast and teleconference requirements ,\" explained a senior committee staffer who spoke with us on background. \"That now allows HASC Members to speak directly with forward-deployed military units or commanders as the situation might require.\" Staff are confident that use of this VTC capability will increase as a complement to Congressional Delegation (CODEL) field trips. \"On a VTC, you can talk to a few people and a couple of field commanders. When members go on CODELS, they talk to hundreds of people, from generals to field specialists. VTC can\'t replace that spontaneous interaction, but it does mean that, in an urgent situation or on very short notice, the members can speak face-to-face with forward-deployed commanders who might not otherwise be easily accessible, or are too far away to travel easily and quickly to Capitol Hill.\" All 62 committee members can access the system at once, but it can also be used by just one or two at time. \"The members are still getting used to new technologies, but with every election cycle the HASC - members as well as staff -- get more comfortable with using these new capabilities.\"
Mike discusses the federal telework policy and if it\'s been used in the bad weather.
Government Executive’s Tom Shoop asks in his blog if we have become weather wimps. Did last winter’s Snowmagedden turn us into weaklings? Or, maybe you’re just as likely to brave the snow, wind, sleet, ice…
Snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain combine to delay opening federal agencies in the Washington, DC area. The Office of Personnel Management has announced a two hour delayed arrival this morning for employees, who also have the option to take unscheduled leave or telework.
CECOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC) is part of Army Materiel Command (AMC). Lately, it\'s been on the move-- and supported more than ever by video teleconferencing. Since 2008, CECOM been making a massive migration of its headquarters from Ft Monmouth, NJ to Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG). VTC is critical for CECOM to stay connected with its 8,500-strong team -- including both the 50% of that team based outside HQ or forward deployed, supporting seven regional Army field support brigades as well as warfighting units in the field. \"For the last 2-3 years, video teleconferencing has enabled us to operate effectively in a \'split-based operation\' during the BRAC transition,\" said Ed Thomas, Deputy to the Commanding General, CECOM. \"And it gives us this amazing connection from APG right to the front lines of the battlefield.\" New location means new equipment. By the end of 2011, CECOM will have VTC conferencing hardwired into 13 conference rooms at APG. \"The gear being installed by CACI will be IP based with ISDN as a backup capability. In addition, we will USE Defense Connect On-Line and Microsoft Communication Software for desktop VTC capability,\" said Patricia O\'Connor, CIO for CECOM LCMC. \"VTC supports a more effective exchange of information that means faster turnaround for mission support.\" CECOM participates in three major weekly VTC meetings. First, there\'s a CECOM worldwide operations update, to review the work we\'re doing in support of the warfighter, and track the supply and maintenance issues. Second, AMC holds its weekly VTC across 30-40 nodes including seven regional support commands, along with subordinate commands like CECOM and its counterparts in aviation, missiles and tanks. The third is the weekly depot maintenance production reviews -- a big part of making sure equipment get overhauled and back to the troops. \"After there\'s an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, it\'s important for us to see what happened to the vehicle that was attacked and how the IED was detonated. Our engineers and scientists can get a better understanding of the operational needs and valuable information to engineer better solutions,\" said Thomas. \"We also use VTC within CECOM for General Strong\'s staff calls, to connect our people at Tobyhanna, PA, Ft Monmouth, Ft Hood, Ft Huachuca, and Ft Belvoir. There\'s clear cost savings associated with it; often we\'re able to effectively conduct a meeting or conference without having to travel.\"
Welcome to telework, Mister First Nighter! Six quick tips on how to make that first telework snowday a success.