ATTACHMENT_10_-__WRAIR_Telework_Program_Command_Memo.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

WALTER REED ARMY INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH

503 ROBERT GRANT AVENUE

SILVER SPRING, MD 20910-7500

**This supersedes WRAIR Command Memorandum 2017-31, dated 24 April 2017.

MCMR-UWZ-P 28 March 2018

MEMORANDUM FOR All Personnel, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)

SUBJECT: WRAIR Command Memorandum 2018-31, Telework Program

1. REFERENCES:

a. Public Law 111-292, Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, Title 5 United States

Code, Chapter 65 — Telework.

b. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Telework Guide: http://www.telework.gov

c. Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1035.01, 4 April 2012, subject: Telework

Policy.

d. AR 380-5, 29 Sep 2000, Information Security Program.

e. AR 25-2, 23 March 2009, Information Assurance.

f. Memorandum, Assistant Secretary of the Army (M&RA), March 17, 2009, subject: U.S. Army Procedures for Providing Reasonable Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities.

g. Headquarters (HQ) MEDCOM OneStaff, Telework Guide, 12 September 2012.

h. Policy Memorandum # 2016-02, U. S. Army Medical Research and Materiel

Command (USAMRMC), 23 December 2016, subject: Telework Program.

2. SCOPE. This policy applies to all WRAIR Civilian employees as defined under 5 U.S.C.

2105 both CONUS and OCONUS, regardless of duty location or "with duty at" location.

This policy however, does not apply to Foreign Service Nationals, Third Country Nationals, Locally Engaged Staff, Students, Volunteers, or anyone not covered under regulation specified in 5 U.S.C. Chapter 2105.

3. OBJECTIVES:

a. Improve the recruitment and retention of high-quality employees through enhancements to employees' quality of life.

http://www.telework.gov/ burnsjl Sticky Note Attachment 10

MCMR-UWZ-P

b. Enhance WRAIR’s efforts to employ and accommodate people with disabilities, including employees who have temporary or continuing health problems or who might otherwise have to retire on disability.

c. Reduce traffic congestion and decrease energy consumption and pollution emissions.

d. Reduce requirements for office space, parking facilities, and transportation costs including costs associated with payment of the transit subsidy.

e. Complement Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans to ensure continuity of

Government Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) in the event of national or local all-hazard emergencies.

4. POLICY:

a. This policy provides management with greater flexibility in managing their workforce in order to enhance productivity and quality of life in a manner supportive of the Department of the Army's goal to balance its employees' careers, while fulfilling the mission of the organization through their professional performance. A DoD Telework Agreement (DD Form 2946) (see enclosure 2) is mandatory for documenting telework arrangements.

b. The granting of telework is individual, discretionary, and it will not be considered or granted as an entitlement, even when requested as a reasonable accommodation, a process to be pursued through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office (EEOC) at Fort Detrick. Requests for telework as a reasonable accommodation must be requested through the Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Coordinator within EEOC who shall advise management on whether the accommodation should be granted or not.

However, management retains the right to grant or deny such requests regardless of advice received from the RA Coordinator. Not all employees are eligible to telework.

c. Granting telework should be based on sound business-related, operational needs of the organization to accomplish work. Telework is not an employee’s right. Keeping that in mind, the intent of the laws on telework and this policy is to encourage the use of telework by eligible employees assigned to the WRAIR where possible without diminishing employee performance or efficiency of the work place. Use of telework also assists supervisors and employees to identify and resolve technology, equipment, communications and work flow issues that could impact any other remote work that may be required for mission accomplishment including continuity of operations in the event of an emergency.

d. Telework is a discretionary workplace flexibility. Although the use of telework is encouraged, employees cannot be ordered to telework unless the employee’s duties are designated as mission-critical and the employee is required to report to an alternative worksite or the employee’s telework agreement addresses this requirement.

e. Telework is not intended to be used as a replacement for sick leave when an employee is ill.

f. Telework will not be used, in any way, to facilitate an employee’s secondary career or off duty employment. For instance, telework will not be granted so an employee may be home to monitor his phone for off duty employment purposes or to eliminate the need for an employee to report to his/her duty location on time due to off duty employment.

g. Employees are expected to perform the essential functions of their job during the hours they are expected to be teleworking. Inability to respond in a timely manner to messages, electronic communications (emails, faxes, instant messages, etc.), or telephone calls shall result in the termination of the telework agreement. Management will engage employees on telework agreements with regards to hours of work, work products, and responsiveness during telework times.

h. Telework will be authorized for the maximum number of non-supervisory positions to the extent mission accomplishment is not jeopardized. Eligible employees will be permitted to telework to the extent it does not diminish individual or organizational performance.

i. Telework is an integral part of the WRAIR’s effort to ensure continuity of essential functions across a wide range of natural disasters and local or national declared emergencies.

j. Telework agreements must be renewed annually or upon their termination date, whichever comes first. Telework agreements will automatically be cancelled if not renewed by their termination date.

k. Premium pay will not be authorized when an individual is in telework status. The only exception would be in the event of an ad-hoc or emergency situation, determined on a case-by-case basis, and approved prior to commencement of work.

5. RESPONSIBILITIES:

a. WRAIR Commander or Designee:

(1) Approve the establishment of a Telework Program.

(2) Serve as approval authority for telework requests that require the expenditure of WRAIR funds, i.e., GSA Telework Centers.

b. Chief of Staff:

(1) Approve all requests exceeding 16 hours per pay period.

(2) Appoint a Telework Review Panel (TRP) to review, and provide recommendations for requests exceeding 16 hours per pay period, employee telework appeals, and other telework actions deemed necessary.

(3) Approve requests to use telework in lieu of sick leave.

(4) Serve as the deciding official for requests submitted to the TRP.

c. Information Management Division:

(1) Ensures that the infrastructure is in place for employees to telework simultaneously.

(2) Establishes requirements and procedures for accessing the Virtual Private

Network (VPN) for employees in the Telework Program.

(3) Installs and configures the required VPN hardware and/or software for the approved remote Government Furnished Equipment (GFE).

(4) Verifies that users are assigned to the right logon environment, government equipment properly administered, and software settings restricted.

(5) Issues, manages, and maintains VPN accounts and authorizations.

(6) Oversees access arrangements for any user and determines whether employees' VPN access or individual account(s) should be revoked when unwarranted Information Assurance risks are identified.

(7) Provides equipment (laptop computers) necessary for employees to fulfill required work products through secure channels.

d. Civilian Human Resources Division:

(1) Develops Telework Program Policy for all employees.

(2) Coordinates, oversees and evaluates WRAIR’s Telework Program.

(3) Provides training, advice and assistance to supervisors and employees.

(4) Ensures that requesting employees have all supporting documents attached to the telework agreement request and that said request complies with all required regulatory mandates.

(5) Provides guidance to management regarding employees’ eligibility to participate in the Telework Program based on the duties and requirements of the position.

(6) Ensures that Position Description (PD) and personnel systems are properly coded based on management determination of telework eligibility.

(7) Provides quarterly reports for Commander and Chief of Staff regarding number of employees participating in Telework Program and number of hours teleworked by employees.

(8) Conducts annual review of telework agreements and provides information to management regarding needs for renewal, terminations, and ineligibility of participating personnel based on position description.

(9) Prepare the TRP appointment memorandum based on input from the Chief of Staff within three business days from receipt of a request for an appeal.

e. Telework Review Panel

(1) Will be comprised of no less than three division directors, two civilian and one military, to review and provide recommendation to the Chief of Staff on telework requests exceeding 16 hours a pay period, employee appeal requests, and other telework actions as identified by the Chief of Staff.

(2) Submit their recommendation(s) to the Chief of Staff within ten business days from appointment.

f. Division Directors:

(1) Approve or deny telework agreements for their division based on the assessment of how allowing an employee to enter into a telework agreement may or may not adversely impact the division’s and WRAIR's mission. Provide the employee with a written explanation when a request is denied.

(2) Submit reports to the Telework Managing Officer (TMO) on the Telework

Program as required through their AO.

(3) Determine the effect of telework on the Institute’s mission and make appropriate adjustments and recommendations for expansion, continuation, or termination as appropriate.

(4) Complete “Telework Fundamentals – Manager Training” available at http://telework.gov. Submit completed certificate to the TMO.

http://telework.gov/

g. First Line Supervisors:

(1) Ensure that each employees under their supervision that is teleworking is on a current and valid telework agreement.

(2) Determine employee telework eligibility for all positions that are coded as eligible for telework.

(3) Recommend and forward approval requests to branch directors for consideration.

(4) Deny requests that don’t meet the provisions of this policy. Provide the employee with a written explanation when a request is denied.

(5) Determine the availability of government-owned Automated Information Systems (AIS) to support employees performing official duties in employee's homes.

(6) Notify employees as soon as possible of management or mission-required work schedule changes that may require temporary changes in telework schedule or termination of agreement.

(7) Determine how frequently employees should backup copies of data onto network drives in order to protect against data loss.

(8) Complete “Telework Fundamentals – Manager Training” available at http://telework.gov. Submit completed certificate to the TMO.

(9) Sign and maintain a DD Form 2946 (DoD Telework Agreement) for employees within their organizational unit who telework.

(10) Ensure the Telework Agreement includes specific information on the location of the designated location where work will be performed.

(11) Thoroughly outline expectations and document the supervisor/employee discussion using the Supervisor – Employee Checklist (see enclosure 3).

(12) Communicate to the employee specific work products expected to be completed during the telework day and validate the production using the Telework Employee Production Log (see enclosure 5).

(13) Ensure there is adequate worksite coverage during public business hours to enable mission operations to be carried out in an efficient, effective, and economical manner.

(14) Ensure procedures are in place to maintain communication across members of a workgroup.

(15) Monitor, review, and approve all telework arrangements annually to ensure mission requirements are being met and that the agreement, as approved, is still effective and does not diminish individual or organizational performance.

(16) Terminate telework arrangements if an employee’s performance or conduct does not meet the prescribed standard, the teleworking arrangement fails to meet organizational needs, or the employee becomes ineligible after the start of the agreement based on eligibility criteria.

(17) Reevaluate telework positions every two years for eligibility.

g. Timekeepers will keep copies of telework agreements and ensure that employees properly utilize telework codes in ATAAPS.

h. Employees will:

(1) Ensure an approved Telework Agreement DD Form 2946 is received prior to beginning a telework schedule.

(2) Be financially responsible for all modifications of personal residences to include a broadband connection (Internet) to use the VPN to access their work files. WRAIR will not reimburse employees for cost associated with teleworking for the benefit and convenience of the employee.

(3) Complete “Telework Fundamentals – Employee Training” available at http://telework.gov, and will submit completed certificate with their telework application.

(4) Comply with all provisions of this policy and will ensure telework coding is properly completed in Automated Time Attendance and Production System (ATAAPS) by the end of each pay period.

(5) Ensure the designated area in their home complies with safety requirements for telework.

(6) Document work specific work documents and products on the Telework Employee Production Log and provide a copy to the supervisor no later than the end of the pay period.

(7) Report to the regular worksite on scheduled telework days, if determined necessary by the supervisor.

(8) Meet with their first level supervisor to resolve conflicts involving scheduling, participation, etc.

(9) Be responsible for safeguarding the integrity of government information, ensuring that such data is stored only in government-approved equipment or officially authorized storage.

(10) Complete the WRAIR Remote Access and VPN Registration Form (see enclosure 4), with all required signatures and must receive final approval by WRAIR’s Information Management Division (IMD) prior to gaining VPN access.

(11) Discuss expectations and requirements with the supervisor. Confirmation of the dialogue is documented on the Supervisor – Employee Checklist.

6. Eligibility and Non-Eligibility

a. Work suitable for telework depends on the job content, rather than the job title, type of appointment of work schedule. Positions that require employees to perform tasks that are measurable, quantifiable, evaluated by the quality of a deliverable and are primarily project-oriented (i.e., a statistical analysis or writing a program of instruction) are the best candidates for telework. Telework is feasible for work that requires thinking and writing (i.e., data analysis, reviewing grants or cases, writing decisions or reports) and for computer-oriented tasks (i.e., programming data, entry and word processing).

b. Employees who exhibit suitable work performance and occupy eligible positions (i.e., those positions that involve portable work and are not dependent on the employee’s presence at the traditional worksite) may be allowed to telework. In certain situations, positions or employees may be identified as ineligible for telework. However, there may be circumstances or portions of employees’ work (e.g., reading and analyzing documents and preparing reports of other types of correspondence) when the employees in these positions may be considered for telework on a situational basis.

c. Employees who are directly engaged in performing the duties of their jobs are covered by the Federal Employees Compensation Act, when injured or suffering from work-related illnesses while conducting official government business, regardless of whether the work is performed on the agency’s premises or at an alternate worksite.

Employees should notify their supervisor if injured while teleworking and provide their supervisor with medical documentation related to the injury.

d. Eligibility: Telework eligibility criteria will be applied impartially and consistently without prohibited factors (i.e., race, religion, color, gender, national origin) being considered.

(1) An employee suitable for telework is an employee whose demonstrated personal characteristics are well-suited to telework, as determined by the supervisor, including, at a minimum –

(a) Demonstrated dependability and the ability to handle responsibility.

(b) The ability to prioritize work effectively and utilize good management and organizational skills.

(c) A minimal performance rating of “B” – Exceptional (Pay for Performance Management System (PPMS)) or “3” – Fully Successful (DoD Performance Management and Appraisal Program (DPMAP)).

e. Eligibility appeals:

(1) Must be received by the Civilian Human Resources Division within 14 calendar days from the last determination date.

(2) Should include written justification from the employee as well as the first line supervisor and division director along with the denied request and any other supporting documentation the employee or supervising chain feels supports their request.

(3) Final determination will be made by the Chief of Staff and provided to the employee within 20 business days from the date the request was received by the Civilian Human Resources Division.

f. Non-eligibility: Positions are not eligible for telework if performing the work at an alternate work site will adversely affect the performance of other employees, place a burden on the staff remaining in the office or result in a diminished level of service provided to customers. Positions may not be eligible for telework if the work requires:

(1) Frequent or short notice face to face interaction with internal or external contacts, such as the supervisor, their employees, formal/informal work teams, clients or the general public or frequent ad-hoc meetings.

(2) Access to material or data that cannot be moved from the regular office, would present a security risk, or breach of confidentiality (classified material, security documents, libraries, personnel records, medical records, etc.).

(3) Handling controlled unclassified information, particularly its telecommunication or electronic storage. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is explained in AR 380-5, Chapter 5.

(4) Work that must be performed at the regular work site such as issuing and accounting for supplies and materials, equipment repair, surveying property, or dealing with animals.

(5) The employee’s experience in performing the duties of the position and the need to be in the traditional worksite to learn the organization or to receive on the-job-training. Interns and trainees are not suitable for telework. Probationary status employees are not eligible for telework because probationary status periods are established to allow supervisors an opportunity to personally observe and evaluate employee performance.

(6) Employees who are not meeting performance standards, are being counseled or disciplined for leave abuse, or who have pending or current disciplinary or adverse actions may not be approved for telework.

(7) Positions identified as ineligible for regular and recurring telework (at least one day per pay period) may still be considered for ad-hoc telework (on an occasional, one-time, or irregular basis). For example, a position requiring daily interaction with customers would not be eligible for regular and recurring telework. However, if the employee is assigned a written project or report that could be completed at an alternate work site, an ad-hoc telework arrangement could be approved.

(8) Supervisory positions are eligible for telework. Employees in supervisory positions are eligible only for situational telework, including emergency and OPM prescribed “unscheduled telework”.

7. The point of contact for this policy is the Director of the Civilian Human Resources Division, 301-319-9885.

3 Encls DEBORAH L. WHITMER

1. Definitions COL, VC

2. DD Form 2946 (DoD Telework Commanding Agreement

3. Supervisor – Employee Checklist

4. WRAIR Remote Access and VPN Registration Form

DISTRIBUTION:

A