A NEW NORMAL


“Because the federal government is a vast organization, there is no one-size-fits- all approach,” OMB Deputy Director Jason Miller said in an April blog post. “However, as a whole it is important to establish overarching goals and bench- marks for consistency.” According to Miller, private sector employers across the country are undertaking the same type of assessments using lessons learned from the pandemic to improve their companies’ health and performance.


After three years of primarily communi- cating via electronic means, the workforce has grown used to what they’ve adapted as a new normal. Now, the federal govern- ment and its agencies are looking to settle into their version of a workplace new normal. But what will that look like?


OMB outlined in an April 13, 2023, memorandum that it would look like a substantial return to in-person work with new considerations for remote and tele- work. Te plan seeks to “strengthen and empower the federal workforce, deliver exceptional federal services and customer experiences, and manage government business.”


In the memorandum, agencies are directed to develop updated “work envi- ronment plans” that describe current operational policies critical to improving organizational health and performance, while also conducting regular assessments to determine what is working well, what is not and what can be improved.


While that generally means a return to the traditional office for most, OMB also maintains that workplace flexibili- ties like remote work and telework will remain important tools for ensuring agen- cies can retain and compete for top talent in the marketplace, according to the new guidance.


12 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2024


PRE-PANDEMIC RULES, POST-PANDEMIC WORLD Tough telework has existed in the federal government since the 1992 Interagency Telecommuting Pilot Project, and more officially since the Telework Enhance- ment Act of 2010 became law, it has not been widely incorporated as standard work procedure or used as an entic- ing accommodation during the hiring process. But, rather, it was used with a telework agreement as an alternative option for extenuating circumstances like severe weather events, travel, medi- cal conditions or when an employee is still able to perform their duties but unable to report to their regular workstation.


As a consequence of COVID-19, the Army, like many private industry employ- ers, had no choice but to turn to telework, forcing wider adoption and driving home the importance of a more robust telework program. But now in a post-pandemic world, most Army organizations, follow- ing the OPM guidelines, are looking at a return to the traditional workplace in some capacity—full time or hybrid— for civilians and Soldiers, regardless of their role.


“I think it’s case by case, and that is some- thing that I’ve embraced, fought for and championed in meetings,” said Frank Gonzalez, director of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center’s (USAASC) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Acces- sibility Office. “And I think most of the leadership has kind of embraced that as the best balance: Look at our mission needs and then make decisions.”


Gonzalez believes whether it’s telework, remote or in-person work, a happy work- force comes up with better solution sets, and will actually work harder. “If this was in private sector, that essentially becomes more profitable for you,” he said. “We’re


public sector, so we don’t look for profit as a federal government, but guess what? Tat happy workforce is looking to make things more efficient. Tey look for ideas to improve the workplace.Tat gives us value, and the more value we create, the more efficient we become.”


He said OPM’s latest guidance just


reemphasizes the policies that existed pre- COVID, which defined telework as being present in the office twice per pay period, (once a week) and remote as not in the office. “Tat is what existed back when I joined the federal government as a civil- ian back in 2008, and that policy hasn’t really changed, because it boils down to the local agencies’ guidance,” Gonza- lez said.


For example, he said, “the Army could make the formal declaration of no more than one day [in the office] per week with telework, which is within the scope of OPM’s guidelines.” But the Army hasn’t done that. Instead, it is leaving it to the discretion of each organization, and divi- sion or unit within each organization, to determine what will work best for each. “Tere’s no Army guidance or direction beyond the OPM standard. It is up to the supervisor and it’s based on your mission needs,” Gonzalez said.


Gonzalez, who works a hybrid sched- ule—in the office once a week—said he is definitely more productive working from home. “My customers are spread out. So working from my home office versus my [Fort Belvoir, Virginia] office, you know, quite honestly, it’s better.” Since he would have to use Microsoft Teams to commu- nicate with those customers anyway, he said, there’s really no difference whether he’s working from home or the office. Except for maybe one thing. “My home office has a better internet connection, so I don’t have to deal with intermittent


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