{"id":25211,"date":"2023-03-15T17:01:38","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T17:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/03\/15\/fema-urged-to-keep-remote-work-options-once-approvals-pause-ends\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:02:16","slug":"fema-urged-to-keep-remote-work-options-once-approvals-pause-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/career-management\/2023\/03\/15\/fema-urged-to-keep-remote-work-options-once-approvals-pause-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"FEMA urged to keep remote work options once approvals \u2018pause\u2019 ends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The federal union representing some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fema.gov\/about\/action\/we-are-fema#:~:text=Every%20day%20more%20than%2020%2C000,safer%2C%20stronger%20and%20more%20prepared.\" target=\"_blank\">20,000<\/a> employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urging officials to keep up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/2020\/11\/19\/the-outlook-for-federal-telework-in-a-post-pandemic-world\/\" target=\"_blank\">support for remote work<\/a> agreements once it resumes approving them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A FEMA spokesperson confirmed to Federal Times in an email that applications and approvals for remote work have been temporarily suspended for 30 to 45 days in a \u201cpause\u201d that began Feb. 22 while the agency reviews its implementation of its policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Steve Reaves, president of FEMA\u2019s union chapter for the American Federation of Government Employees, told Federal Times that the agency is taking this time to clarify its remote work approval process because it has been applied inconsistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery case that\u2019s rolled me in to help with their remote work application, they have been so spotty,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cAnd there\u2019s misapplication across the spectrum &#8230; So we can clarify the actual policies that everybody\u2019s applying because a lot of these deciding officials are applying their personal views on it instead of just professional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency hasn\u2019t said that it\u2019s planning to increase its in-person requirement over the next few months or upon the ending of the national emergency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2023\/02\/10\/notice-on-the-continuation-of-the-national-emergency-concerning-the-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-pandemic-3\/\" target=\"_blank\">declaration on May 11,<\/a> only that existing policies permitting telework will remain in effect. As of 2022, more than half of the agency\u2019s workforce is telework eligible, according to employment data kept by the Office of Personnel Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/fedlife\/career\/2022\/10\/20\/one-in-3-federal-employees-fully-back-in-office-survey-finds\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22004773174840.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Only 1 in 3 federal employees fully back in office, survey finds<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Pre-pandemic, almost a third of respondents reported having an approved telework agreement.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At FEMA and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/2022\/07\/13\/hybrid-work-may-be-permanent-fixture-for-government-employees-cisco-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\">elsewhere in the federal government,<\/a> such flexibilities are not new, thanks to the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. FEMA had a telework policy codified in 2013 that was updated in 2021 and designed to allow managers the flexibility to make decisions on which and how many employees need to be working in-person, a spokesperson said. Differing ideas both within agencies and between Congress and the White House about whether flexibility should be offered this far \u201cpost-pandemic\u201d have caused ripples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cManagers and workers are going through a culture change,\u201d Reaves said. \u201cHistorically, ten years prior to COVID, we argued with the agencies that telework would work, and it would save us all money. It would increase our happy scale &#8230; COVID showed that that was true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent surveys on federal attitudes and productivity showed that organizational effectiveness indicators were higher among employees who teleworked frequently, according to 2022 data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kiran Ahuja, the director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/hr\/2021\/11\/15\/opm-revamps-decade-old-federal-telework-guidance\/\" target=\"_blank\">Office of Personnel Management,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/OPM-COA-Oversight-Written-Testimony_030923.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">testified<\/a> before Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/release\/opm-has-failed-american-taxpayers-and-needs-to-ensure-prompt-service-to-all-americans%EF%BF%BC\/\" target=\"_blank\">last week<\/a> that flexible work schedules have mitigated attrition and attracted new entrants to the civil service, which the government needs to replenish its aging workforce and combat struggles with competing on pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on a sample of postings on USAJobs portal between June and October 2022, remote job announcements received 17 times more applications, on average, than non-remote jobs, according to her written <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/OPM-COA-Oversight-Written-Testimony_030923.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">testimony.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SHOW UP Act advances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans in the House have advanced legislation \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/OPM-COA-Oversight-Written-Testimony_030923.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">known as the SHOW UP Act<\/a> \u2014 to revert telework agreements to whatever they were before the pandemic. Federal employees have taken to online forums to discuss and lament their agencies\u2019 approaches to telework and remote work in the face of clashing ideologies between the Capitol and President Joe Biden\u2019s policies for the government workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think something might be afoot government wide,\u201d said one user on Reddit. \u201cBiden is old school and not a fan of remote work. Biden saying mission accomplished and ordering all feds outside of these exceptions back to work in May is easy politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reaves said attitudes trickle down, with some some mid-level managers taking \u201cgreat pride\u201d in saying they haven\u2019t approved any remote work agreements. He said mixed perspectives on flexible work may stem from the fact that many of FEMA\u2019s senior employees are former military or former law enforcement officers who may be used to expecting bodies in seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/2022\/08\/11\/union-takes-department-of-housing-and-urban-development-to-arbitration-over-remote-work\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635677098050182935-department-of-housing-and-urban-developmentjpeg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Union takes Department of Housing and Urban Development to arbitration over remote work<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Union leaders said exclusion from remote work fails to consider how reentry imposes commuting costs amid soaring gas prices and hardships on employees who are caregivers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be sure, telework is not a right, Reaves said, and it\u2019s not guaranteed. But for where it makes sense, he said it\u2019s a good idea for the agency to shore up its implementation and its policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe FEMA program embraces the premise that all positions are presumed suitable for some amount of telework even if the position\u2019s official duties ordinarily require daily physical presence at the official worksite,\u201d according to the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Portable work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agency policy states that for a FEMA employee to be approved for remote work, they must meet the eligibility criteria along with occupying a position that has \u201csufficient portable work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Management reserves the right, with one day notice, to require employees to return to the official duty location on scheduled telework days, based on operational requirements, according to the union\u2019s 2016 collective <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afge.org\/globalassets\/documents\/cbas\/l4060---fema-contract.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">bargaining agreement<\/a> with FEMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the future of telework and remote work government wide remains murky, Reaves said that flexibilities have a unique benefit for FEMA employees. He said his teams are as busy as they\u2019ve ever been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before the pandemic, which FEMA responded to by distributing millions of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment, the 2017 and 2018 storm seasons demanded 10,000 personnel each while more than half of the agency\u2019s cadres were staffed at 25% or less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn addition, many employees \u2014 up to 48% in some cases \u2014 declined deployments due to burnout and austere conditions in the field,\u201d said a 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/gao-22-105631.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> by the Government Accountability Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And during the pandemic, for the first time in American history, there were 114 concurrent Major Disaster Declarations in every state, said Peter Gaynor, the former FEMA administrator,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fema.gov\/fact-sheet\/femas-natural-disaster-preparedness-and-response-efforts-during-coronavirus-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\"> before the House in 2020.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo encourage that top talent, we need telework to work,\u201d Reaves said. \u201cWe need people to be able to call in and not quit. Because, listen, when you deploy out to these austere hurricane zones, or fire zones, or tornado scenes, it\u2019s mass casualties. It\u2019s hard on [employees] and it leads to a higher higher turnover rate than most most other agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reaves also said telework and remote work entice employees to \u201cagency hop,\u201d even within other offices of the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FEMA employs emergency managers stationed at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in 10 regional offices across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to come back from a disaster site and go into the office like everything\u2019s fine after you\u2019ve seen peoples\u2019 whole lives wiped out,\u201d Reaves said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Editor\u2019s note: If you need help or support, please <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/find-help\/disaster-distress-helpline\"><i>call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline<\/i><\/a><i> at 800-985-5990.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans in the House have advanced legislation \u2014 known as the SHOW UP Act \u2014 to revert telework agreements to whatever they were before the pandemic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":69478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":66,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[55,66,38,11,31,15,33,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3269],"class_list":["post-25211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-career-management","category-congress","category-fedlife","category-home","category-management","category-newsletters","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"O7AGCGIMKBFNDH264GPYTZXSPE","arc_canonical_url":"\/management\/career\/2023\/03\/15\/fema-urged-to-keep-remote-work-options-once-approvals-pause-ends\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>FEMA urged to keep remote work options once approvals \u2018pause\u2019 ends - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Republicans in the House have advanced legislation \u2014 known as the SHOW UP Act \u2014 to revert telework agreements to whatever they were before the pandemic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FEMA urged to keep remote work options once approvals \u2018pause\u2019 ends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republicans in the House have advanced legislation \u2014 known as the SHOW UP Act \u2014 to revert telework agreements to 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