NIST Plans for Telework Post-Pandemic

Jason Boehm, Director, Program Coordination Office (PCO)

Essex Brown, Acting Director, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)

June 8, 2021
Pre-pandemic telework at NIST

• Different levels of support across 

the organization

• Agreements inconsistent across 

OUs

• Dependent on the nature of the 

work (bench scientist/science 

advisor/administrative)
Plan pilot Run pilot

Gather and 

review 

results

Best practice for building a telework program

• Gain management support

• Build diverse planning team

• Outline expectations for 

telework

• Determine what successful 

telework looks like

• Gather pre-assessment data

• Train managers and staff

• Set expectations

• Provide necessary hardware 

and software

• Launch

• Conduct post-pilot 

assessment

• Review and share data and 

conclusions

• Determine outcome 

(expansion or termination)
Best practice for building a telework program
Telework and Remote Work are here to stay

The Biden administration is expected to release federal telework guidance in June 2021

A flexible and forward-leaning strategy aligned with organizational needs will ensure NIST’s competitiveness 

Post-pandemic telework offers a great opportunity for 

federal agencies:

• Government officials are moving to make a 

pandemic experiment permanent by allowing 

more employees than ever to work from home.

• Collectively, the federal government has an 

opportunity for a ‘leap frog’ moment to shape the 

future of work.

• Abroad rethinking of the federal workplace to 

include remote and virtual options brings big 

positives ... by appealing to younger workers in 

particular and helping employers expand their 

talent pool.

Benefits and considerations:

• Remote work has created new job 

opportunities for some, offered more 

family time, and provided options for 

whether or when to commute.

• There are also challenges ahead. Teams 

have become more siloed and digital 

exhaustion is real and unsustainable.

• A thoughtful approach to hybrid work will 

be critical for attracting and retaining 

diverse talent.

Federal example: USDA will allow employees to telework up to 4 days per week, expanded use of virtual and remote duty stations, and more flexible schedules in 

its post-pandemic workplace.

of workers want flexible remote work options 

to continue 70%

of workers are craving more in-person time 

with their teams 65%

of the global workforce is considering leaving 

their employer this year 41%

of the global workforce says they’re likely to 

move because they can now work remotely 46%
Effecting change through policy and strategy

PCO

Strategy

OHRM

Policy

• Addresses culture 

expectations

• Provides examples 

of effective use of 

telework

• Sets eight principles 

for telework

• Outlines rules

• Includes approval forms

Together, the OHRM policy and PCO strategy:

• Provides consistent guidance for telework across the 

organization

• Encourages flexibility to allow for efficient equipment 

sharing in the laboratory programs

• Allows for hiring highly qualified individuals

• Cultivates a more diverse and inclusive workforce

• Improves NIST’s ability to recruit and retain a highly 

qualified workforce
NIST PCO Telework Strategy: Key Principles

NIST will be a forward-leaning, 

telework friendly organization

NIST staff may telework with 

dependents in the home

NIST will ensure teleworking 

staff have access to adequate IT 

resources to work effectively

Staff schedules should be 

transparent and consider 

individual as well as 

organizational needs

Workspace is at the discretion 

of the employee

A recall time should be set that 

is fair and reasonable

Leadership must be prepared 

and equipped to manage a 

mixed onsite and telework 

workforce

All meetings will enable virtual 

attendance
Strategy in 

Developing New 

Telework and 

Remote Work 

Policies

• Tangible policy changes needed to effectively compete for talent

• Feedback gathered by PCO helped inform policy direction 

• Goal to increase flexibility and address current policy gaps

• Draft policies reviewed by multiple customer and stakeholder 

groups (DOC Human Resources, DOC General Counsel, NIST 

Leadership, and NIST Operations Advisory Committee)

• Policies sent to NIST Directives Review Board on May 4

• Implementation of new policies scheduled for October 1

• Vendor-led training for supervisors on leading hybrid teams
Telework versus Remote Work

*locality pay area: geographic area that serves as basis for setting pay
Focus Areas of New Telework Policy

New Employee 

Eligibility

Full-Time 

Telework

Temporary 

Telework

Equipment 

and Supplies

Work Space

Requirements

Dependent 

Care Rules
New Remote 

Work Policy

• Prior to COVID, few employees at NIST had remote duty 

stations. Approval criteria was rigid and OHRM retained 

approval authority.

• New policy provides OUs with approval authority and 

greater flexibility in establishing remote positions for 

recruitment or retention purposes.

• New policy also offers many considerations for 

management and employees to inform decisions

• Will improve NIST’s ability to recruit expanded and more 

diverse applicant pools

• Will also improve NIST’s ability to retain high performers