From the Washington Post:
... Social Security Administration workers in Casa Grande, Ariz., wonder if they have been infected with the coronavirus. On Monday, a colleague who returned from a cruise over the weekend reported to work “hacking and coughing” but remained on the job throughout the workday, said Ralph DeJulius, national president for the union that represents SSA workers.
On Tuesday, the worker called in sick. Coronavirus was suspected.
Panic spread. Information about the worker’s health, and what the rest of the office staff should do in response, has not been shared with the sick workers’ colleagues, DeJulius said. ...
6 comments:
This is why field offices will be closed within a matter of days. Employees feel safe in their homes but our fight-or-flight instincts kick in everytime we forced to leave it. Employees are going to stop showing up, especially at the FOs, because they view this as life-or-death and are going to choose their health over their job.
No one is going to be fired for going AWOL during a global deadly pandemic. We are not members of the military or healthcare industries.
In short, we did not sign up for this!
Inept management in that office.
coughing and hacking employees in government have more rights than coworkers and the public they impact. management can't MAKE any employee go home. That's what's sickening.
If Saul hadn't taken away all FO PC TSC telework last fall, the sick employee may well have teleworked on the day of coughing, and everyone who was in that office would be safe. Or if Saul had admitted the mistake and put everyone back on max telework.
I know Congress is busy now with the crisis, but part of the crisis is Saul's "leadership" : he is likely costing lives. Why isn't Congress holding hearings on Saul and SSA? Are they unaware of what is happening? There are provisions for removing a commissioner due to gross negligence of duty. Saul's foolish and dangerous decisions in this time of crisis have gone unchecked long enough..
Please everyone go to your Congressmen's website and fill out the "submit comments" block, it's so easy to do and it could save lives.
Italy reported 368 deaths in one day. There are now almost certainly thousands of Coronovirus infected people in USA.
SSA should close all offices immediately. PC's, TSC,FO, HO. Every office. Especially the FO with their crowded waiting areas and face to face interviews.
All SSA Employees should be instructed to take their laptops home and be put on Adm Leave, while the logistics are set up for emergency telework.
SSA should put all resources immediately into developing their systems capacity for permanent telework capability for all employees.
This should have been worked on as soon as Coronovirus started months ago. Instead, SSA under Andrew Saul foolishly cut back even further on telework in March, following the unnecessary November massive cuts in telework.
Don't blame the local management, their hands have been tied by the brass, who are still making everything a case by case basis that has to be run through the medical office.
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