Vol. 9 | February 2022

Preparing for Reentry

Telework, Remote Work, and Duty Station Guidan

As the Federal Government prepares to return

employees to the physical workplace, Federal agencies

have been directed to ensure compliance with the Off

of Personnel Management’s (OPM) pay policy as part of

their reentry plan and exit from the maximum telework

posture. Per the DOL Reentry and Post Reentry Future of

Work Plan, by their scheduled reentry date or the start of

Phase 3, whichever is earlier:

1. Employees are required to return to their official worksite and d

station of recor

2. Employees must have an approved up to date telework agreement to

participate in telework or remote work (see definitions b

3. Employees should expect to return to their pre-pandemic schedule

unless a change to their schedule has been approved by their supervisor.

Telework is where an employee performs work at an approved alternate

worksite, and the employee is expected to report to their offic

worksite at least twice per bi-weekly pay period on a regular and

recurring basis (can be formal with consistent telework days or informal

with ad hoc telework days).

Remote work is where the employee can perform work from an

approved alternate worksite within or outside the local commuting ar

of the agency worksite and the employee is not expected to report to

the agency worksite on a regular and recurring basis.

Employees who request and are approved to establish a remote work

agreement beyond the start of Phase 3 will have their official works

changed to the location of the remote worksite, which may change their du
station and have an impact on their locality pay. This includes employees w

were temporarily permitted to telework from a different geographic 

during the maximum telework posture.

Supervisors and employees are encouraged to have discussions on individual

work schedules, and update or establish telework/remote work agreements

as appropriate to prepare for reentry. Additional telework/remote wo

guidance can be found on DOL’s Telework page on LaborNet. Questions abo

telework and remote work policy can be directed to your Agency Telework

Coordinator or 

Faciliti

For employees returning to the Frances Perkins Building

(FPB), check out the FPB Reentry Guide for onsite

resources. The FPB Portal also has a lot of helpful

information related to a number of topics includi

security and access, maintenance and cleaning, safety

and health, building amenities, IT connections and o

building services.

If your worksite is located outside of the National Of

please refer to GSA’s webpage for regional office buildings. For addit

questions, you can reach out to your Regional OASAM points of contac

Security

Remember to check the expiration date on your PIV card prior to yo

reentry date. If it has expired, schedule an appointment to have a new card

issued and activated. To do s

1. Call the DOL USAccess Help Desk at 202-693-7200 to obtain status of

your PIV Card. The DOL USAccess Help Desk person will be able to

provide additional guidance. O

2. Visit the GSA USAccess scheduler site to schedule an appointment to

pick-up/activate your DOL PIV badg

For employees returning to FPB, the Security Center (SC) will have a PIV kiosk

located at the 3rd Street entrance for the first two weeks of each reent

phase. PIV kiosk services include certificate updates, PIN resets, and 

activation, with no appointment required. All other PIV services (e.g.,

enrollments, card reprints) are available at the PIV Badging Office

appointment only from 8am – 5pm ET, Monday through Friday.
SC will also have an Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP) information desk at th

same location in FPB, which will be staffed to answer questions about

during emergencies, pass out pamphlets, discuss the OEP, and welcome

volunteers to join the Occupant Emergency Organization as floor wardens

zone monitors.

Technology

To assist with your technology needs as you return to onsite work, OCIO has

developed a Onsite Work IT Guide outlining key things to know about

equipment and office IT suppo

If you are a National Office employee with questions about IT, check 

Enterprise Service Desk kiosk that will be in the FPB near the 3rd St. entrance

for more information. It will be open from 7a  3pm, Monday Frida

In Case You Missed It

Here is a quick recap of the latest COVID 19 information and guidance sent 

all DOL employees:

Employee Reentry Checklist

DOL Reentry Update Phase 1 Date Moved to February 28

New COVID-19 Testing Poli

REQUIRED: Workplace Safety Training (PDF)

DOL Workplace Safety Plan (PDF)

DOL Internal Reentry and Post Reentry Plan (PDF)

Masking Requirements by DOL Locati

Video Resources

To help staff better understand DOL guidance relate

the pandemic response, we’ve put together the following

quick video resources. Check them out!

Reentry Preparation (4 min

A quick overview of what to be thinking about before returning to onsite work

and the day you return to onsite work, plus ongoing health and safety
guidance.

Future of Work

DOL management and representatives from Local 12, AFGE; the Nati

Union of Labor Investigators (NULI); and the National Council of Field L

Locals (NCFLL) concluded negotiations over the Future of Work. The p

agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that covers flexible wo

schedules, work schedule flexibilities, telework and remote work,

implementation of TeleworkXpress, the Department’s new automat

telework agreement system. Once finalized, you can find the MOU on the

Plans and Procedures page. More information is forthcoming 

TeleworkXpress, which is scheduled to launch in mid-March 2022.

Hybrid Workplace

As onsite work begins to increase over the next few

months and telework continues, we need to consider h

to prioritize an equitable and inclusive work experience f

all our colleagues. There will likely be more situatio

where some team members are working from a DOL site

while others are working remotely. Please consider the

following tips to encourage open collaboration as we l

how to best operate in a hybrid environment.

1. Prepare for the meeting. If you would like to provide both in person a

virtual options for a meeting, coordinate the appropriate confer

space and learn how to connect the technology to use video for

colleagues on site. Test the conference room set up in advance to make

sure you know how to set it up and allow for time if you need to conta

IT support. Check audio/video clarity with a virtual participant. Set 

and log in early to ensure there are no connectivity issue
2. Consider the logistics. Establish multiple facilitator roles if you 

help with specific aspects of a meeting (screen-sharing a present

chat box monitor, Q&A facilitator, in-person setup). Consider listi

them in the meeting invite with their roles and as the points of contac

Make sure you have a headset with you onsite in case you need to take

virtual meetings from a non-enclosed workspace. Sending presentat

or documents in advance of a meeting can enable virtual attendee

follow along, enlarge, or in-person attendees to prin

3. Familiarize yourself with available technology platforms and ext

features. Check out OCIO’s Training Library. Make sure you understand

key features of the virtual meeting platforms like screen shar

chatting, and collabora

4. Plan meetings strategically with participants’ schedules in mind.

example, if the majority of the team teleworks on Mondays, maybe the

best option for a large team meeting that day would be a fully vir

meeting, even if a few people are in the office. Consider askin

planned participants what forum would work best for them given the

schedules. For recurring meetings, consider alternating between f

virtual meetings and meetings with an in-person o

5. Encourage equal participation. Be conscious of audio clarity to 

sure virtual staff can hear conversations in the conference room,

colleagues onsite can see or hear comments read out loud from the

chat. Begin a hybrid meeting with instructions about how you prefer

all attendees to communicate during the meeting. For example, inst

participants to use the chat box for comments, or raise hands — bo

virtually and in person. Alternate between calling on in person and

virtual attendees. If people start speaking over each other, acti

facilitate. Identify an order for people to spea

6. Make sure remote colleagues’ voices are heard. Sometimes in pers

conversation can dominate a discussion. Make sure you give remo

colleagues the chance to jump in if they have a comment. Designate a

person to assist by monitoring and reading from the chat and identifyi

virtual attendees with raised hands. If there are rapid exchanges 

people in the room, quickly recap/summarize the discussion for those

who might not have caught everything.

7. Make spontaneity more inclusive. When you are onsite with colleagues,

it is easy to collaborate on the spot. Work with remote colleagues to

determine how to best include them spontaneously, whether it be

through a quick Teams call, dialing them in via Jabber, or jumping into a

virtual meetin

8. Be intentional as a remote employee. It is the entire te

responsibility to stay connected. If you feel out of the loop, be proacti
in maintaining strong lines of communication with your colleague

Schedule quick check in conversations to catch up throughout the d

with your teammates.

Stay tuned for additional hybrid work resource

FEHB Coverage for COVID-19 Tests

Effective January 15th, 2022, Federal Employees He

Benefits (FEHB) plans have been directed to cover over t

counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests for the diagnosis or

treatment of COVID-19. This coverage includes tests that

have been authorized, cleared, or approved for use

without the involvement of a healthcare provider, and the

coverage must be provided without any cost-sharing

requirements, prior authorization, or other medic

management requirements. FEHB plans may limit the number of tests to eight

OTC tests per covered individual per month at no charge. Generally, there is

no limit on the number of tests, including at-home tests, that are covered if

ordered or administered by a healthcare provider following an individualized

clinical assessment. FEHB plans are not required to provide coverage of

testing that is for employment purpose

Some FEHB plans may be in the process of establishing programs that allow

covered individuals to obtain OTC COVID-19 tests directly through preferred

pharmacies, retailers, or other entities with no out-of-pocket co

eliminating the need for enrollees to submit a claim for reimbursemen

Insurance plans establishing these programs will contact enrollees with

informatio

Should you have questions, please contact your health insurance carri

directly. Each plan works differentl

Stay Up to Date on Your Vaccines

CDC recommends that people remain up to date with their vaccines, which

includes additional doses for individuals who are immunocompromised 

booster doses at regular time points. Individuals who are moderately 

severely immunocompromised should get an additional primary shot and

booster shot.
Effective January 21, 2

while the nationwi

preliminary injunction is 

place, employees may use

up to four hours of

administrative leave inste

of duty time to obtain

primary series dose of the

COVID-19 vaccine during

work hours. Administrati

leave may also continue 

be used for authorized boosters and additional doses received by employe

or their family members during an employee’s tour of duty consistent with

the guidelines. Please note that you don’t have to get the same brand of

booster shot as your initial vaccine series. We encourage you to get a boost

dose as soon as you are able.

Contractor Employee & COR Resources

As reentry draws nearer, contractor employees and Contracting Offi

Representatives (CORs) should keep the following guidance in min

The DOL Workplace Safety Plan, Internal Reentry and Post-Reentry Plan,

and other DOL policies and procedures apply to contractor staff. Plea

familiarize yourself with these documents.

Contractor employees must conduct a daily health screening each day

before coming onsite.

Refer to OSPE’s policy notices as needed. The latest include Updat

Guidance Regarding Enforcement of Executive Order 14042 a

Mandatory Workplace Safety Training for Contractor Employees.

Contractor staff should complete the Workplace Safety Training and O

training on LearningLink prior to returning to onsite work and noti

their COR of completio

OSPE’s Customer Engagement and Management Team

is hosting a Reentry Informational Session for COR

March 2nd, 2022 from 12pm – 1pm ET. Please reach

to OSPE-CustomerEngagement@dol.gov for addition

details.

Contractor employees should reach out to their COR with questions. CO

should reach out to the OSPE Project Management Office at OS
PMO@dol.gov with any question

Supervisor Resources

As more employees return to onsite work, managers and

supervisors will play a critical role in ensuring a smoo

reentry process for staff. They are a valuable resource f

their team, as some employees may not have engaged in

onsite work for some time. Managers and superviso

should remind staff to conduct the Daily Health Screeni

each day before reporting to onsite work. Employees mu

also check the masking requirements, physical distancing

requirements, testing requirements, and travel guidance associated with the

vaccination status, the level of transmission in the community, and loc

public health requirements. Be sure to refresh your knowledge of the updated

DOL COVID-19 Exposure Notification Process in case any of your emp

reporting onsite becomes il

We want to make sure managers and supervisors have all the resources they

need to support their staff throughout the reentry process. To that end, 

welcome all supervisors and managers to join an optional Office 

session on Tuesday, March 8th, from 1-2pm ET. Subject matter experts fr

BOC, OHR, CRC, and more will be available to answer your questions abo

reentry. Please look for a calendar invitation in your mailbox with a link 

atten

Check out these resources on the 

DOL COVID-19 LaborNet page!

VaxTrak Homepage

Vaccine Info

Reentry Info

Employee Messages

Past COVID-19 Connecti

Newslette

DOL Plans and Procedures

Medical and Religious

Accommodations for Vacci

Requirement

Training and Video Resources

FAQs
Questions? Please email us at