COVID-19 HRD Guidance: Time and Attendance Coding, Weather and Safety Leave (WSL) Usage and Tours of Duty

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COVID-19 HRD Guidance: Time and Attendance Coding, Weather and Safety Leave (WSL) Usage and Tours of Duty

To:                   All MRP Employees

From:               MRPBS

Date:               March 20, 2020

Subject:           COVID-19 HRD Guidance: Time and Attendance Coding, Weather and Safety Leave (WSL) Usage and Tours of Duty


This email provides clarification regarding how employees will record work time (telework and non-telework), leave to include WSL, and tours of duty.  During this COVID-19 pandemic employees must receive supervisory approval to use leave, to telework, and/or to request changes to their maxiflex tour of duty.

Time and Attendance (T&A) Coding for Non-Teleworkers:

  • Use Transaction Code (TC) 66 – Weather and Safety Leave (WSL) for non-telework-eligible employees who have a supervisory-approved reasonable accommodation (RA). This applies to employees who have self-certified (in writing) to being at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19 based on CDC guidelines and whose condition prevents them from safely traveling to, or performing work at, an approved location and for whom no accommodation can be provided. Employees are expected to be ready and willing to work if work becomes available that is within the limits of their RA or other accommodations become available which allow the employee to safely travel to, or perform work at, an approved location.
  • If a non-telework employee becomes ill, to include contracting COVID-19 while on approved WSL, then the employee is to:
    • Use TC 62 – Sick Leave or TC 61 Annual leave or other earned time off in lieu of sick leave, as applicable.
  • WSL may also be granted for an asymptomatic non-teleworker who has been ordered by a local or public health authority to:
    • Practice social distancing due to potential COVID-19 exposure.
    • Isolate / quarantine due to a significant risk of exposure or due to exposure.
  • A non-telework employee may request other earned leave or earned time off at any time subject to supervisory approval.

T&A Coding for Teleworkers:

  • An employee whose position is eligible for telework but s/he chooses not to telework or report to his/ her duty station is ineligible for WSL.
  • A teleworker whose child’s school (or elder facility) is closed but the office is open, may telework during those time frames when s/he is not actively caring for the child (elder). Time periods of child (elder) care must be coded as earned annual leave and/or other earned time off.  Sick leave may only be used if the child (elder) is ill subject to regulatory limitations on the use of sick leave.
  • A teleworker whose child’s school (or elder facility) is closed and the office is closed, may be granted WSL if no other child (elder) care is available and the child (elder) is unable to self-care. WSL should not be granted if the child is able to self-care. In these instances, the employee may be permitted to telework. S/he would take earned leave and/or other earned time off during those time frames when s/he is actively caring for the child (elder). Time periods of child (elder) care must be coded as earned annual leave and/or other earned time off.  Sick leave may only be used if the child (elder) is ill subject to regulatory limitations on the use of sick leave.
  • Use TC 01 – Reg Time – Telework – Other when teleworking on days that are not your regularly scheduled telework day.
    • Example 1: If you are an ad hoc teleworker then each day that you telework, you would use this code.
    • Example 2: If you regularly telework each Monday of the pay period, then you would code those days as TC 01 Reg Time Telework and all other days teleworked as TC 01 – Reg Time – Telework – Other.
  • Use TC 01 – Reg Time – Telework when teleworking on your regularly scheduled days.
    • Example 1: If you regularly telework each Monday of the pay period, then you would code those days as TC 01 Reg Time Telework.

Tours of Duty

  • Field Locations have the delegated authority to establish tours of duty based on local mission requirements.
  • Headquarters DC-Area Locations:  Employees teleworking in the Washington, D.C. metro area:
    • May flex their glide hours to extend past 6:00 pm until 6:00 am.

Example Scenario - Your regularly scheduled tour of duty is Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but you need to care for your infant on Wednesday from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Possible solution 1: With supervisory approval, you may glide and work in the evening (after 6:00 p.m.) on Wednesday to account for the time spent caring for your infant in lieu of a charge to leave.

Possible Solution 2: With supervisory approval, you may glide on another day within the expanded glide times and/or on Saturday to make-up the time in lieu of a charge to leave.

    • May include Saturday as a flexible day. Sundays are excluded.

Example Scenario - Your regularly scheduled tour of duty is Monday – Friday but you need to care for your infant all day on Monday.

Possible Solution 1: With supervisory approval, you may flex your day and work on Saturday instead.

Possible Solution 2: With supervisory approval, you may glide throughout the remainder of the week and make-up the time a little each day.  

Possible Solution 3: You may request to use earned annual leave and/or other earned time off, e.g., compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay, compensatory time off for travel, and/or credit hours.

    • Are to communicate with their supervisor and discuss the work hours in order to balance mission and family needs. If the approved schedule will impact core days and/or hours (Tuesday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.), document an approved core time deviation via email/WebTA. Please note on Mondays and Fridays employees are also to adhere to core times. This means obtaining core time deviations if needing to glide/flex on these days.
    • Maintain a record of their time and attendance. Hours worked will be counted towards the 80 regular hours, under TC 01. Use the TC codes noted above in the section titled T&A Coding for Teleworkers.
    • Will not be entitled to night differential, overtime, and/or compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay if choosing to utilize this flexibility.
    • Overtime (including compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay) continues to require supervisory approval.

 Note 1: Supervisors are responsible for evaluating the use of WSL each pay period for each employee to which granted. Continued communication with employees is imperative.

Note 2: Extra hours worked under maxiflex continue to be subject to the 24 hour credit limit established in law. Any hours worked beyond that are donated and not compensable. Credit hours are voluntarily earned by employees. Extra hours ordered and approved by management are considered overtime and/or compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay.

More specific guidance is being finalized by MRPBS HRD.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please email inquiries to MRP.COVID.19.Response@usda.gov.