Federal employees in the nation’s capital are not happy today. First came the sudden rush-hour blizzard that stranded more than a few DCers on freeways turned to fluff-covered hellscapes where no car could escape. Then came the government’s decision to be open for business in DC today on a two-hour delay.
The move was communicated communicated to the thousands of federal workers in DC by the Office of Personnel Management, which acts as the nation’s HR department for the federal government. It also operates a Facebook page frequented by federal workers, which today became the home for angry employees upset about the icy trek to their offices ahead of them.
Right there on the internet, the bureaucrats that make your government work are letting their disgruntled flag fly. Here’s a taste:
“Two hour delay? Really? *blank stare*,” wrote Jon Mack Garret, who’s profile describes him as hailing from the DC suburb of Bowie, Maryland.
Mike Tunstall, another commenter, was less subtle than that. “â2 HOUR DELAY ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY !!!!”
The OPM directive allows federal workers to use their agency’s “telework” policies to take an unscheduled telework day as their workplace permits. But the OPM notes the day will be counted as a “non-telework day” as the federal government is open as usual.
That did not sit well with commenters on the OPM Facebook page.
“Dear OPM, some of us do not have the option for ‘unscheduled telework,'” Christal Prout, an employee at the U.S. Geologic Survey, wrote. “I will travel 3 hours to get to work today, since my normal commute is about 1.5 hours on a good day. I will get there, because I do not have the option to “work from home” and get paid for it. Only when I get there, the staff I support will not…”
A little backstory: back during the blizzard of 2010, the DC offices of the federal government shut down for several days as a record snowfall piled up on streets and sidewalks. As always happens with everything in the city, the decision to shut the government down had its political critics.
This time around (with far less snow on the ground than came during the 2010 blizzard), the government will be avoiding those critics by operating as usual.
The employees who were forced to commute through the icy landscape will not be among those singing the federal government’s praises today, however.
“Why wasn’t the government closed today?” wrote Shannon Huggett, a Facebook commenter from the suburb of Herndon, VA. “The commute to work was like driving on an obstacle course, dodging snow and cars that were still stuck from last night’s nightmare commute. It was a really irresponsible decision that has put thousands of people’s lives at risk.”
Ashley Michele Watkins, whose Facebook bio lists her as an employee of TCoombs & Associates, a federal contractor in Springfield, VA, wrote on the OPM page that the government’s decision to work through the snow had cost her dearly.
“I would like to thank OPM personally for playing a role in totaling my Infiniti Qx4 today,” she wrote. “No words can describe.”
