Do You Schedule the Entire Day Off Before a Holiday?
Don’t miss out on Excused Absence !
December - 2007NTEU Subject: Holiday Excused Absence for All Employees
Employees sometimes ask why those who schedule the day off before a holiday don’t reap the benefits of early dismissal? The reason is that no one knows how gracious NRC senior management will be as to how much excused absence will be granted. This year we do know, since a November 15, 2007, NRC announcement stated that 4 hours excused absence will be granted on the day before Thanksgiving. The agency announcement left out an important provision of Management Directive (MD) 10.62, Part IV (B)(1)(f)(viii):
Leave Treatment in the Case of Early Dismissal "When an employee is scheduled to report for work after an early dismissal is officially announced, the employee should be charged excused absence for the remainder of the workday..."
To take the entire day off before a holiday and benefit from excused absence, schedule annual leave in the morning and plan to return to work in the afternoon. To avoid having to report to work, call in to the agency (888-415-4NRC) to verify the early dismissal. Be sure that you are able to report to work if dismissal does not occur. Use OPM Form 71 to document your intentions.
You may want to consider exercising this policy provision the day before any future holiday, such as December 31, 2007, for which the agency might authorize early dismissal of the staff. Contact Dale Yeilding, (301-415-3600) in the NTEU Union office with any questions.
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