Recording Furlough on Time and Attendance Reports To: "DC - All District Chiefs", "B - Branch Chiefs and Offices" Subject: Recording Furlough on T&A Reports Cc: "A - Division Chief and Staff", "TK - Time Keepers", "Alice C Dilandro, Secretary (S), Reston, VA" Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 14:46:16 -0500 From: "Catherine L Hill, ACH/Operations, Reston, VA" In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 442 MEMORANDUM To: District Chiefs Branch Chiefs From: Catherine L. Hill Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Operations Subject: Recording Furlough on Time and Attendance Reports We have received many questions on how to record the furlough on time and attendance reports and which account numbers should be charged for the furlough time. We have not yet had any guidance from the department on these issues, but we have begun some internal discussion. The following represents the best guidance we can give at the present time. Time and attendance reports for pay period 25 are not due early. Your final transfer of data is due on Monday, November 27, 1995. We recognize that many timekeepers want to prepare the time and attendance reports before the Thanksgiving holiday, but it is not a requirement. The furloughed hours will most likely be recorded as administrative leave (hours code 060). Time for employees that worked during the furlough will most likely be recorded as regular hours (hours code 010). This would include time for employees traveling back to the home office on Tuesday after receiving notice of furlough. Furlough hours should account for no more than 3-1/2 days (28 hours) for employees on Eastern Standard Time and 4 days for those on Pacific Standard Time. No charge should be made to annual or sick leave during the furlough even in situations where the annual and/or sick leave was approved in advance or begun prior to the furlough. So, any annual and/or sick leave should cease by mid-day on Tuesday, November 14. Employees should charge to the account number normally charged for annual leave or holiday pay. There should be no attempt to divert all furlough hours to the common services account or to charge all hours to Federal program accounts. We recognize that some cooperators may question this practice, but we believe it is the only prudent course of action that we can take. We do not have Federal program reserves that can cover the salary costs accrued during this furlough (approximately $3.2 million). If questioned, we should remind our cooperators that we intend to deliver our products within the scheduled time frames and that we are partners with them in work efforts, and not contractors that are paid by the hour. Also, it is the usual practice for employees to charge annual or sick leave to project accounts, and administrative leave for this furlough, although unplanned, is another type of leave. We have no other way of accounting for it. We suggest that the preparation of the time and attendance reports proceed as normal with the hours codes left blank until definitive guidance is received from the Interior Department. As an additional note of caution, there is uncertainty as to the level of spending authority in this Continuing Resolution. We will clarify this within 24 hours, but in the interim, spending on discretionary items should be resumed with caution. Copy to: WRD Senior Staff Timekeepers *************************************************** * Cathy Hill * * Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Operations * * U.S. Geological Survey * * 441 National Center * * Reston, VA 22092 * * Phone: (703) 648-5031 * * Fax: (703) 648-5295 * ***************************************************