From Government Executive:
Amid growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, the Social Security Administration’s ongoing saga over telework has reached some finality this week. ...
SSA’s Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) will shift to full-time telework this week, he said.
Some employees in SSA’s payment service centers began full-time telework last Thursday or Friday. Others in the agency’s tele-service centers already have or will begin telework Monday, said Rich Couture, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 215....
Employees at SSA headquarters and other regional operations offices are also teleworking, Couture said.
SSA did not respond to multiple requests for comment. ...
Couture said SSA didn’t yet have enough “soft phones,” the special systems that tele-service center employees need to connect into the agency’s phone network and remotely handle their work.
The agency will also roll out some new technology in the coming week, which will allow OHO employees to remotely assist and cover hearings done over the phone, Couture said. ...
The agency is planning to first ask SSA supervisors to come into the office to handle some tasks that can’t be handled remotely, Couture said. ...
19 comments:
The SSA may find they are more productive with telework. Saul will not admit it because he was against telework.
If a softphone is simply software downloaded to a computer, how can they not have enough?
@6:26. You're correct that it's software. But they also need a headset. That's the holdup. Using it through the laptop mic and speakers apparently results in very poor audio quality.
It sounds like Trump is getting bored with the entire shutdown thingy. The economic damage (meaning the stock market crash) has become unbearable.
So, once the 14-day shutdown is over, everyone should be able to return to work. SSA emergency telework can be rescinded, the local SSA offices can start seeing customers in-person, and in-person ALJ hearings can resume.
We can expect return to full SSA productivity in April.
Saul will likely cut back SSA telework again, as soon as current federal work at home orders expire.
Just as he did last November.
He showed then that he didn't give a damn about SSA employees work/home life or employee morale.
I don't trust Andrew Saul's decisions about employee safety, teleworking and Coronovirus.
I'm doing fine teleworking every day and I'm getting a lot of work done for SSA at home.
I'll retire before I'll go back to the office due to Saul ending telework again,. while it is not safe.
I'm not going to risk my health and my life, or the lives of those I love, for no good reason.
The head sets are crap. Can't tell you how many failed and had to replace.
His "media wing" at Fox News is already following Trump's lead to drum up support among the faithful to end the quarantines no matter the cost. The lieutenant governor of Texas is "all in' on risking my health to lift social distancing guidelines for economic boost" on national TV.
Trump being Trump, he can't order the States to do anything, but he CAN order government agencies to open back up to face to face service.
I home I'm wrong, but Trump is now worried about the collapse of the economy and how it is potentially sending his re-election hopes down the drain. Compared to that, what is the lives of a bunch of people he doesn't even know (I mean, we are talking about Trump the hump here, so the answer to that should be obvious).
Mark my words - in the next week or two, watch what Saul does.
@9:56 I wonder how many ALJs feel the same. Most of them are in a vulnerable age group. I expect we would see a large number of sudden ALJ retirements if they were ordered to resume in-person hearings. The threat of that may be the one thing to keep all OHO workers safe at home.
Each one has to be licensed individually.
but more importantly be mindful of the hatch act... grandpa Saul is focused on what's important... now wash your hands and get back to work
@7:00, they feel the same, but you’re kidding yourself if you think the threat of ALJS quitting would keep oho workers home. TPTB would revel in “draining the swamp” and hiring agency controlled AALJs to hold hearings.
I fully expect they will be called back NLT 4/6. The question is, how many will go and how many will call in sick.
Commissioner Saul should be aware that the world has changed since he made his decision to cut SSA telework in Nov 2019.
He should know that if he cuts telework again, SSA will see more sudden retirements than any time in its history. The agency would take years to recover from this sudden loss of knowledge and experience..
The best course of action for SSA is to maximize telework even when the present coronvirus crisis is over. We can't go back to the 1980's with everyone going in to the office. Those days are gone forever.
4:22 pm I was the manager of a telework pilot office in a big metro area for over 3 years. Increased productivity? You must be joking or very uninformed. Our best staff members struggled to be as productive. Indifferent members not even close. The rest in between. Telework was brought to us by the Union as an employee benefit. Productivity was not a factor. It has employee advantages, and is essential during this crisis and has a place long term. However don't look for increased productivity.
Productivity went down during telework? Speak for yourself. Telework increases productivity for attorneys, analysts, ALJs. I can personally attest to increased productivity. You must be a Saul troll
1;02 pm - it sounds like you were not a very effective manager.
If in-person hearings resume as early as 4/6/20, I will be requesting that myself and all of my clients appear by telephone until this crisis is over based on medical science. I will not let an uninformed orangutan dictate our health for the sake of an increase in the Dow.
In NY of all places, some of the offices are remaining open and ALJs being ordered to come in to conduct telephone hearings. Today the person in the room with me rode the public bus to work...SSA does not care one bit about employees, and TPTB only about their jobs.
I feel for you. I had similar issues. The 80/20 rule. We never were able to hire the best when I could hire. Coaching only helped some.
Re telework--it's difficult to be as productive as one is in the office. There's less banter between employees but harder to do some thing on one screen vs 2 or 3 one has access to in an office. If there is a computer problem it's figure it out yourself or call a number that has multi hour waiting list.
I think SRs probably are the least efficient via telework because much of their work is in person in office. Some can be done via phone but some folks can't even get phone calls so difficult to handle that workload.
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