From Government Executive:
... The Social Security Administration’s inspector general office has in recent months conducted surveys of computer logs and telephone records of its employees, aiming to ensure its employees were engaging in work activities at the proper times. The probes have resulted in employee discipline, including firings, according to SSA IG staff. ...
In a message to employees in July on "reentry planning" obtained by Government Executive, [Gail] Ennis [Social Security's Inspector General] announced to employees she had requested an assessment of the workforce's remote work productivity. She noted the agency found, as a general matter, the IG's office remained consistently productive and had "demonstrated an ability to produce meaningful results" in extraordinary circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the "vast majority" of employees worked the hours they said they did and "met their obligations as public servants."
Ennis added, however, that not all employees performed so admirably.
“Regretfully, some employees did not, and they will be held accountable for their conduct,” she said. ...
One employee estimated that nearly two-dozen employees are facing potential discipline. That would represent about 7% of the IG’s Office of Investigations workforce. ...
Note that the discussion here is about Inspector General employees specifically, not Social Security employees generally.
24 comments:
The article may be more focused on OIG employees, but this is the case across the entire Agency, trust me.
No it is not the case across the entire agency, trust me. I am working from home and I am more productive at home than I was in the office. I have heard the statistics show this is the case, agency wide. More productivity at at home.
I don't know about other parts of the agency but for CRs/CSs, it would be hard to not do a good amount of work each day. They have 6-10 appointments a day which can be avoided for perhaps a day or two but eventually someone will see no work is being done. The internet unit imports 6-10 claims per day. If not imported within 5 days, a call comes from the Area Director's office. They are expected to be imported every day. So perhaps some can hide and do no work but in my experience, not very easily.
If you go looking, you can find scams against timesheets going back 40 plus years. There will always, in every organization, someone who thinks they've found a way to scam the system. THey get away with it for a time, but mostly get caught. So this isn't exactly earthshattering. Nor is it new.
Just because a very few abused their telework privilege and were caught it would be very wrong to paint all SSA employees with the same broad brush and accuse them of slacking off at home.
The CS in PC7 have paperless ACRs (action control record) assigned to us each day. The manager can see exactly how many ACRs we work, and they often check several times during the day. If we make an error it can be picked up for PQR review and written up, with the manager getting a copy of the error
In short we are closely monitored while working at hone, just as we were in the office. Not much difference,
Moving PC7 employees back to the office would not help with the backlogs.
10:22 here: I was referring to Agency management; not teleworkers remotely working from home whom I know full and well have been doing great work.
OK, comments, we get it. You like working at home. But for people that need Social Security services, it is not working. For many people they need to speak to some directly in the office to resolve problems. Many people are not sophisticated enough or computer literate enough or able to sit on a cell phone long enough to get through.
The offices need to be reopened and reopened in a way that gets past the DMV ambience of the current offices.
Treat people with respect and it will be returned. And, yes security is still needed, but not the way it is handled now.
Dealing with people working at home is not the issue. Being able to get through on the phone when you need to speak with someone is an ongoing, pre-covid, issue.
Technology can help including a chat feature like Medicare.gov now has and an appointment system that actually works
PSC's are all virtually incommunicado and DO'snow rarely answer phones before you are cut off after fifteen minutes.
If there is not enough staff to handle what needs to be done, then the SSA should hire more staff. What is going on now is just not good enough,
For those working at home--you should welcome accountability measures like this. The alternative is ending telework for all SSA employees after the pandemic ends. As a claimant representative, I can tell you first hand that service has dropped off a cliff in the last year. I truly do not understand why there is so much denial of this. While you may personally be more productive, it has not translated to better service for claimants or representatives. The only offices that seem to be functioning somewhat normally are OHOs. Field offices and program service centers are a disaster.
There were draconian cuts in overtime for vital positions in the payment center, such as Claims Specialist, earlier this year when Saul was commissioner. The Administration has relied on heavy overtime for decades to handle workloads.
Due to the cuts in overtime, backlogs quickly grew in PC7 and we are still digging out of that hole. Cuts in overtime resulted in the decreased service, it has nothing to do with telework.
Without overtime, the backlogs will grow whether employees are working at home, or in the office.
"Just because a very few abused their telework privilege and were caught it would be very wrong to paint all SSA employees with the same broad brush and accuse them of slacking off at home."
Don't count on it. If we look at how SSA reacted to the Conn situation and then Binder by painting all representatives with a broad brush and changing regulations, I would expect a similar response when it comes to abuse of telework. The only difference is that there will be unions involved.
Very few claimants need to see someone in person to resolve a problem. Some things like emergency checks, first SSNs, etc need a visit. Many people prefer in person service but it isn't necessarily any better and it's frequently less efficient for the agency.
Could the service be better? Much so. When service was better I never saw an attorney in an SSA office and yet their cases were handled.
Does service need to be in person? Sometimes but much less often than what claimants would like.
To 1:51
I can order my food on line and pick it up at the door or have it delivered. But, I like to shop and I like being in the store.
Frankly, I really don't care what is more efficient for the Agency. I want to deal with an Agency that at least pretends to want to help me. If that means that you have to actually meet with the people in person, then that is what you have to do.
Efficiency is important but humans contact is important too. And contact with SS staff in the office or having a hearing in person before an ALJ is a level of contact that citizens deserve.
Citizens deserve good service, to be paid correctly and timely, etc. SSA aren't social workers. I prefer to take claims in person but the agency prefers I do it via the phone where more people can be helped.
Efficiency for the agency may be of no concern to you until you need something done. "We can make an in person appointment for you in 2043."
Hate to be anonymous, but SSA employees: 50% are good; 50% are really bad and should be fired.
At least the IRS asigns an employee ID number they are required to give at the start of the phone call. That one change would likely reduce bad SSA
workers to only 25%.
News flash for those that don’t work for SSA…the agency doesn’t care about accuracy or customer service. That’s just lip service for the public. The only thing that matters is numbers. It’s sad but true. It’s just a numbers game and the interest of the public is way down the list.
The article indicated that the vast majority of SSA workers studied were found to be productive and at their desks working while at home.
It wouldn't help customer service to force SSA employees back to the offices, and could even put lives at risk due to Covid
.It would also be a terrible work atmosphere, wearing a mask all day and all the other safety protocols that would be necessary.
A number of employees could quit or retire too rather than return to the office to do the same job they are doing well from home.
To 1:30
What about bringing some SSA staff back to the office, and still keeping it closed to the public except for appointments only for persons that can prove vaccination? There is a middle ground, and most other private and public sector workers have been required to return to work in some capacity. If everyone is required to be vaccinated to enter a SSA office, how is this exposing staff to unreasonable risk?
There are some routine and more complex tasks that are more appropriately addressed in office. I have a compassionate allowance case with an incorrect overpayment realted to his prior early retirement application. It is taking months to get addressed b/c the field office staff were not responding,and none of the new hires seem to know even the most basic rules/regs. If he could appear in-person safely this could easily be taken care of the same day. If this person was not represented,I am almost certain this would not be addressed before he dies.
1:30 here. I'd be okay with bringing some SSA staff back, so long as I'm not one of those ordered back! Maybe it could be done on a volunteer basis. I'm under the impression AFGE is against partial recalls, such as exempting employees over age 60 or 65 from being called back.
If all employees are required to vaccinated (which they are), and all members of the public were required to show proof of vaccine before entering the office, what is the danger? SSA employees are not entitled to work from home forever, while the public they serve have been required to work in office and much more dangerous environments for months.Demanding a risk free work setting that the vast majority of private and public sector workers never had access to is unreasonable and callous. Vaccines work, and added precautions like appointment only visits with proof of vaccine/masks carries basically zero risk of COVID spread.
There are unerepesented claimants that have been unable to access benefits due to office closures, and claimant representatives have been required to spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with glaring services failures, which only seem to be getting worse.
11:15 You are ignoring the fact that many companies have recently delayed reopening or even offered permanent remote work due to the Delta variant. Breakthrough infections are real, the vaccines are not even close to being foolproof as you imply.
SSA should be a model employer, and protect their employees and the public we serve.
12:51 are you sure you want every business and service you work with in your personal life to follow the same strategy as SSA? Are you 100% set for the inconvenience and frustration that would bring? It all sounds great and fair, but honestly you cant possibly believe the world would still function. I like the fairytale, but it doesnt work in reality.
12:51 You are ignoring the vast majority of companies that reopened months ago. SSA is not a nimble tech company. Federal post-offices are able to operate safely, why cant SSA field offices? The vaccines are extremely effective, even against Delta. It renders the virus less deadly than the flu, though yes, it is only 99.9% effective at preventing death. If you never want to return to the office, quit. Service is markedly worse and SSA's refusal to reopen field office is doing more harm to the public you serve. SSA simply does not have the IT infrastructure or staff to keep going as is.
This virus is endemic, which means its NEVER going away. Adopting your zero risk tolerance position would mean closing field offices permanently.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/health/fully-vaccinated-people-breakthrough-hospitalization-death/index.html
Post offices don't move mail very well through use of the internet and phone. Most SSA business can be done that way.
Pre-covid, the vast majority of SSA claims were filed online or over the phone.
I see the complaint that no one answers the phone in the field office during covid. Once the officers reopened there will be many fewer people available to answer the phone and I've yet to see an attorney come into an office.
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