Unless your job description is something like wine-taster, puppy snuggler or some other feel-good-fun assignment, most people would probably rather work less than more. Unless they work for the federal government!

The less-is-better approach is unusual. But it happened. The question for inquiring minds is why? Why come into work knowing you will likely face a nightmare commute, when you can stay home snug as a bug? Especially under post-blizzard conditions like we had here, and in other places on the East Coast, last week. Federal agencies in many impacted cities made their own calls. In the D.C. area with so many government employees, the final say is up to the Office of Personnel Management.

OPM gave non-emergency workers the day off Monday and Tuesday. Employees with telework agreements were expected to put in a full day at home. The week before, they got a half-day off and many supervisors told workers to take their laptops and be prepared to work Monday and Tuesday. Which many, if not most, did. On Wednesday, the decision was to allow feds to come in up to three hours later than their normal start time. Or stay home — using annual leave — with pay. Same on Thursday and Friday. Most, hopefully, made it in less than three hours.

So why, when the boss says you can take the day off with pay, did tens of thousands of people who didn’t have to work come in anyhow? Especially after the Wednesday nightmare that dominated the media? Do people never learn? Do they not care? Are they so dedicated they want to come in knowing it is going to be the trek from heck?

A couple of readers have their theory: In short it is that people would rather come into work for a five-hour day than stay home and put in 8-hours as a teleworker. Silly? Not according to Bob H., a government contractor who worked “briefly” as a civil servant.

His theory is that lots of people came into work under beastly conditions “for the five-hour day, delayed start permitting, rather than sit home for a full (eight-hour) day teleworking.” Is that possible? Does it make sense?

Ellen T. said the telework policy at her agency has become “so oppressive” it has become a problem. “When inclement weather is approaching we are nearly always told to take our government-issue” equipment home and be prepared to telework from home.

A column last week on how the D.C. area weathered the blizzard prompted this response from Len with the CPB:

“I appreciated your article today. A three-hour delay sounds reasonable to those of us not having to contend with everyone else on the road also waiting three hours before heading in to work.

“You brought up things that those of us in the Cleveland area would never have considered. My 20-mile commute takes me 35 minutes. In bad snow, barring accidents, it won’t take me more than an hour. Your column put a whole new perspective on the situation.”

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Michael O’Connell

The Co-operative Union Ltd., which is based in Manchester, England, baked the world’s largest pancake on Aug. 13, 1994. The pancake measured 49-feet 3-inches in diameter by 1 inch deep.

Source: Guinness World Records

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