With a dangerous flu season under way, federal agencies have been told to encourage ailing employees to stay away from the office — and work if they can, but take leave if they can’t.
Agencies also may put employees under alternative work schedules that allow them to adjust their arrival and departure time to accommodate medical appointments and other personal needs while making up the hours at other times, OPM said. Similarly, it noted that one reason it has been encouraging agencies to promote telework is its value for continuity of operations during emergency situations such as a flu pandemic.
Supervisors have the authority to place employees involuntarily on paid, excused absence and order them to stay at home or away from the workplace, it said, but only based on objective evidence that the employees are physically unable to perform their jobs, or pose a risk to themselves or others.
The memo also reminded agencies of previous guidance encouraging employees to get flu shots, which are available for free in many federal workplace health clinics.