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Telework Program

Purpose

The Secret Service endorses the use of telework arrangements where they are determined to be mutually beneficial to the Secret Service and the employee. Employee participation in a telework arrangement is a management prerogative and not an employee entitlement or right. Employees must physically report to the traditional worksite at least two workdays per bi-weekly pay period, except for rare circumstances (e.g., public health emergency) or as a reasonable accommodation. These days can be any two days during the pay period as approved by the supervisor. Some positions at the Secret Service are considered telework ineligible based on mission requirements.

Scope

This policy only applies to eligible Secret Service Administrative, Professional and Technical (APT) employees ( including APT reemployed annuitants, full-time, part-time, and intermittent employees). Contractors are excluded from this policy. Employees in law enforcement or gun carrying positions, Senior Executive Service (SES)/Senior Level (SL) and Scientific or Professional (ST) position are not eligible to participate in the Remote Work Program.

Background

This policy provides parameters for evaluating and authorizing positions and employees for remote work and builds up on guidance issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DHS. Remote work offers workplace flexibility under which an employee performs the duties and responsibilities of the employee’s position, and other authorized activities, from an approved alternative worksite. See Definitions” section below for more information.

Definitions

Agency Worksite – An official Federal agency location where work activities are based, generally considered a centralized location of an employee’s assigned organization. The term regular worksite is also used to describe agency worksite. See5CFR531.605(d) for more information. For example, the Headquarters building in Washington, DC, would be considered the agency worksite for an employee who works from Headquarters on a regular basis.

Alternative Worksite – A place where individuals perform official duties away from the agency worksite primary office). An alternative worksite can be a designated home-based office, an approved telework center, or an approved satellite office. An alternative worksite may be within or outside the local commuting area of an agency’s worksite. For example, if the employee works remotely from their home in Atlanta, Georgia, then the alternative/official worksite is their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Local Commuting Area – The geographic area that usually constitutes one area for employment purposes. It includes any population center (or two or more neighboring ones) and the surrounding localities in which people live and can reasonably be expected to travel back and forth daily to their usual employment. Generally, the Secret Service considers the local commuting area to be within 50 miles of the employee’s official worksite, and, for the purposes of travel benefits, 50 miles from the employee’s residence. The local commuting area may also be defined by the locality pay area of the agency worksite.

Locality Pay – A locality-based comparability payment payable under 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5304 and5CFR531.604orequivalentpaymentunderanotherauthority is pay prescribed by OPM regulation. This pay is defined as the geographic area for General Schedule employees and other employees whose federal pay is extended and authorized based on the location of the employee’s worksite. Federal employee pay is based upon certain location-based pay entitlements such as locality payments, special rate supplements, and non-foreign area cost-of-living allowances at the location of the employee’s official worksite as associated with the employee’s position of record.

Official Worksite/Duty Station – The official location of an employee’s position of record where the employee regularly performs their duties, as determined under 5 CFR531.605. The employee’s official worksite for location-based pay purposes, under a remote work agreement, is the alternative worksite.

Remote Work – An approved arrangement, subject to an approved written remote work agreement, under which an eligible employee is scheduled to perform their official duties within or outside the local commuting area (as defined above) ofanagencyworksiteandisnotexpectedtoreporttotheagencyworksiteona regular and recurring basis (e.g., at least two days per biweekly pay period). Note: Regardless of the alternative worksite location, an employee may be required or directed to report to an agency worksite based on mission or operational needs or for other reasons as determined by the supervisor.

Remote Work Program Coordinator – The Remote Work Program Coordinator (located in the Performance Management and Employee Relations Division (PRF)) assists the Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO), in the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of the Remote Work Program, and provides feedback to management and DHS on the extent and nature of remote work activity within the Secret Service. The coordinator works with the CHCO and supervisors in determining what work and which Positions are eligible for remote work.

Telework – An arrangement in which an employee regularly performs officially assigned duties at home or other alternative worksite geographically convenient to the residence of the employee and away from the agency’s worksite upto8daysoutof10daysperpayperiod, seeHUM-05(12), Telework Program, for more information.

Temporary Remote Work – A written agreement between the employee and the Secret Service that establishesthetermsandconditionsgoverningtheemployee'sparticipationintheRemoteWorkProgram on a temporary basis to work at allocation other than the agency’s worksite due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical condition, organizational need, personal circumstances, etc.). Temporary remote work requests (not to exceed 6 months) will be approved at the Deputy Assistant Director DAD)/Deputy Chief (DC) level; however, Assistant Directors (ADs)/Executive Chiefs (ECs) may extend temporary remote work for an additional 6 months.

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