April 2020 Federal Employment Law Training Group Newsletter

Five Weeks In: Measuring Desk Distances, Cyber Spying, and More  

Much of America remains in crisis mode as COVID-19 wreaks havoc on people’s health and the economy. For those fortunate enough to have kept jobs, it’s a new reality, whether you are still going to a half-empty building, out in the field, or working from home.

We’ve heard stories of supervisors who, rather than allow telework-capable employees to work from home, have literally measured distances between desks to ensure that coworkers were spaced 6 feet apart. “Spy software” sales have spiked, as companies seek to capture teleworking employees’ keystrokes and monitor website activity.

One of my personal pet peeves is the social media posts made by people on telework “not-working” from home, who are treating this period in history like an extended snow day. Maybe they are trying to keep things light, but that behavior gives hard-working teleworkers a bad name. The truth is, most teleworkers will get the job done, and well. Why apply a mistrust of teleworking employees to all, rather than just handling the poor performers or the time-wasters as they arise?  So today, we at FELTG want to thank all the hardworking federal employees, who are tirelessly performing the country’s work, regardless of their work location. We appreciate all you do.

This month’s newsletter covers lessons from a couple tricky cases, disciplining an employee for coming to work sick, virtual depositions, and much more.

Read and enjoy,

Deborah J. Hopkins, FELTG President