Clarification of leave policy for September 11, 2001 - Memo of the Month - State Department - Brief Article

Washington Monthly, Nov, 2001

Cleared by:     HR/EX All                            All employees
                                                     State
              Executive Office   U.S. Department
                                  of State

TO: PS, Room 1758 N.S.           Department Notice

               Office Symbol::   Drafting Officer    Telephone Fact.
               HR/ER/EP          Anita A. Brown      X48171

Clarification of Leave Policy for September 11, 2001

HR/ER has received numerous calls regarding the leave policy for September 11, 2001 issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). HR/ER would like to clarify, the following:

If a non-emergency employee--

- had scheduled annual leave for September 11, 2001 for the entire workday, leave should continue to be charged for the entire workday;

called in sick at the beginning of the workday, he/she would continue to be charged sick leave for the entire workday;

- had scheduled leave for the morning of the September 11, 2001 but had intended to return to work in the afternoon, leave should be charged only up to the point of the Department's official dismissal and evacuation (10:1.5 a.m.). The rest of the workday is charged to excused absence.

departed the office before official dismissal shall be charged leave from the point of departure until the tune of dismissal. *

Emergency employees are normally expected to report to work on time and are charged annual leave for failure to report to work. However, due to the unusual circumstances of September 11, supervisors should grant excused absence to emergency employees who were evacuated and unable to return to the building.

Additional questions regarding the leave policy for September 11 can be directed to Anita Brown, HR/ER, on 202- 261-8171.

* Supervisors/managers can grant excused absence without loss of pay or charge to leave to avoid hardships. For example, excused absence can be granted to employees who needed to leave before official announcement of dismissal because younger children were being released from school/child care centers earlier than the announced dismissal time and no alternative form of child care was available.