With winter on its way, now is the time for employees to talk to their supervisors about telecommuting options and expectations during severe weather events. Ensuring employee safety is part of the lab’s operational excellence strategy, as well as a core value of the lab.
Employees are trusted to make good decisions about whether they can get to work safely. Notify your supervisor right away if conditions prevent you from coming to work or if you’ll have to wait until conditions improve.
Some employees have the option of telecommuting. Line management is responsible for determining which positions are deemed essential and which are eligible for telecommuting. When the possibility of severe weather is predicted, prepare in advance by having work available to perform at home. Personnel deemed essential should report for their assigned shifts.
Depending on conditions, lab management may recommend or require eligible employees to telecommute to ensure safety and minimize disruption to laboratory work. LMS-PROC-108: Telecommuting explains the distinction between “recommended” and “required” telecommuting as follows:
- Telecommuting recommended: During severe weather events, the laboratory may remain operating, but senior management may encourage employees to telecommute if their work permits and if they have appropriate authorization.
- Non-essential employees are encouraged to telecommute if they have appropriate authorization.
- Non-essential employees without telecommuting authorization should report to work or request vacation.
- Essential employees are required to report as usual.
- Telecommuting required: When laboratory operations are suspended for part or all of the day and employees are directed to stay home.
- Non-essential employees shall not report to work and may telecommute for the duration of the suspension if they have authorization.
- Non-essential employees shall take vacation if they are authorized to telecommute but choose not to.
- Non-essential employees without telecommuting authorization should not report to work and charge the time to the “CL1 Lab Closing” pay code in Dayforce.
- Essential employees are required to report as usual.
Argonne may also delay the start of normal operations or suspend laboratory operations if conditions are warranted. A set of FAQs on how the laboratory decides to delay the start of business operations or suspend laboratory operations due to weather conditions is available online.
Changes to Argonne’s operational status will be sent to employees and other site occupants via text, email and phone messages. Make sure your contact information is up to date in Workday. Argonne’s Emergency Information webpage and the Info Line at 630-252-INFO (630-252-4636) are also updated when severe weather affects Argonne operations. These information sources are typically updated by 6 a.m. if needed.
If the laboratory is not conducting business operations for the day, or will delay operations until later in the morning, non-essential employees are highly discouraged from coming to the site. Keeping cars out of the parking lots helps snow removal crews clear them more efficiently. Cars may become stuck or go off the road due to snow and ice, endangering the driver and emergency responders alike.
Telecommuting info sheets:
Resources:
- IT tools for working remotely
- Telecommuting resources and FAQs on Inside Argonne
- Winter Weather FAQs