On this page you can find recommendations for all agencies regarding continuity of work during operational interruptions while ensuring accessibility and resiliency for all employees. It supports the work of state agencies to be resilient in the face of disasters and disruptions, including those that may impact the technology we use at work – both in office and remotely. Understanding the context of how work location may influence decisions, and knowing what options are available to keep people working safely and effectively, will help decision-makers and supervisors act with confidence when they are faced with a suspended operations situation.

Where work happens: definitions and recommendations

What is the definition of an official duty station

The Statewide Administrative Accounting Manual (SAAM) definitions:

• Official duty station- The official duty station is driven by the Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) and represents the location of a position’s assigned, permanent state facility worksite (if a state owned or leased facility), field assignment city/ state, or home-based city/state. A state official or employee's official duty station is to be assigned by the agency
• Official workstation for travel reimbursement- The official workstation for travel reimbursement may be the city, town, or unincorporated area of the state official or employee’s official duty station or official worksite as determined by the agency for purposes of travel reimbursement
• Official worksite- The official worksite is the city, town, or unincorporated area where the majority of the employee’s time is spent. The determination is not based on the preference of the state official or employee. The agency maintains the authority to exercise flexibility in determining the employee’s official worksite, considering the agency’s requirements and nature of the position.
• Teleworking- Involves the use of telephones and computers to enable an employee to work at a location other than their official duty station. Teleworking is a Commute Trip Reduction strategy that must be approved by an employee’s agency.
• Temporary duty station;- A fixed location where a state official or employee has been temporarily assigned to work for a specific period of time which is less than one year.

HRMS definition:

• Duty Station County - Prior to the addition of the UFI address fields in HRMS in 2016, Duty Station County was the primary field for identifying the position’s assigned duty station. As long as a Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) address exists for the position, the Duty Station County field can be considered obsolete. The Duty Station County field remains in various reports for historical reporting purposes. See Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) CodeInfotype: Position Job Attributes (1660) (included in HRMS F1 Help).

Many of our state collective bargaining agreements refer to the location an employee is assigned as their;duty station, or official duty station.

Once the risk to public health is diminished and teleworking employees are able to return to the workplace, agencies should consider where the employee typically accomplishes most of their work. In HRMS, use the employee’s Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) code and address to identify the location where the employee primarily conducts their work, if different than their position’s official duty station. The UFI does not need to be updated for temporary changes, but a telework agreement can – and should – document approved alternate locations for the employee to work remotely. If an employee is approved to work set days within a state office and set days from home or another alternate location, the telework agreement should include those details; including the official station designation for travel purposes for those set days. The SAAM does not require payment of mileage or travel time for a set "split" schedule as described above, unless unanticipated or unplanned travel is required without sufficient notice.

Example: A position’s official duty station is assigned to 1500 Jefferson St SE, Olympia, WA. The position’s UFI Code is set to A10186. The employee has an approved telework agreement to work from their home in Tacoma 3 days per week. The employee’s UFI Code is set to Z00320 – "Home-based Tacoma". If the agency has designated the official station to be the location the employee is scheduled to work, then travel to the 1500 Jefferson office is considered their normal commute on those days when they normally come to the office.

For more detailed information and HRMS data definitions, see the HRMS Data Definitions Resource Guide.

What is an alternate duty station/work location? 

An alternate duty station or work location is an approved location, reflected in a telework agreement, other than the employee’s primary work location where they may be able to continue to work if their primary assigned location is inoperable. These can be long term, such as a standing telework agreement where the employee works from home; occasional, such as an employee being approved to work from a state office in another city when in travel status a few times per month; or temporary, such as a safe place with power and internet service during a suspended operations event.

We encourage agencies to be flexible with temporary work sites, as long as the employee is able to safely and securely complete their work. Some examples may include, but are not limited to:

• Shared office space with employees from different agencies
• A different building your agency leases
• Library
• Coffee shop
• Parking lot with a WiFi hotspot
• House of a friend, family member, neighbor, or other alternative residence

What is the definition of non-operational for teleworkers?

When the employee’s primary telework site is not functional or cannot be safely used.

Responding to operational interruptions at a work location

Who makes the decision for how to address a non-operational worksite? 

We recommend the employee reports the non-operational status to their supervisor. Their supervisor will then work with them on a solution and report to other parts of the agency if necessary. 

If the office is non-operational, what do teleworking employees do?

In the event the employee’s assigned office is closed because it is non-operational, teleworking employees must telework each regularly scheduled workday during the emergency situation.

Employees that were at the office who have approved telework agreements allowing them to work at an alternate location should travel to their telework site and work their normal schedule regardless of office closure. 

If these teleworking employees also experience outages for VPN, internet or power, they may use some of the options outlined below in the "What options are available if the work location is non-operational?"

How can an employee report an operational interruption at their primary telework location?

The employee should contact their supervisor. The supervisor will contact any relevant agency staff in accordance with the policy of their specific agency. The supervisor will reach a solution with the employee using options from the list below.

Employees are expected to use their best judgment about the safety of themselves and their family members. If their residence is non-operational, and an employee believes conditions are not safe to travel, they are required to notify their supervisor and take appropriate next steps, outlined in the section below.

What options are available if the primary telework location is non-operational?

Different responses will be needed for different situations. Here is a list of possible options: 

• Teleworking employee drives into the office (travel time does not count as work time)
• Teleworking employee drives into another location (library, coffee shop, parking lot with hot spot, etc.)
• Employees must connect only to verifiable public networks. Example: An attacker could create a wireless network called "Starbucks Wi-Fi" using commonly available technology. Employees must ensure that the network to which they are connecting is actually provided by Starbucks. Employees could verify a network by asking the proprietor if the network is theirs, or by seeing a sign within the establishment that lists the network’s name and password. 
• Employees must not connect to "open" networks (those requiring no password to access) without verifying the network's ownership, as these are more likely to be compromised or illegitimate
• Employees working in public areas must take precautions to ensure that passers-by cannot view (or hear) confidential data
• Employees using public networks should use a VPN whenever possible to establish a more secure connection to any online resources.
• Employees at an alternate work site can go home to telework
• Employees can work flexibly to make up the time later
• Employees can focus on offline work (see offline resources) 
• Use a non-operational leave type(payroll code 9044 or 9021)
• Use accrued vacation leave

Resources for working offline

What are some things that employees can do without internet or without VPN? Save this guide to your desktop for things to do offline or if your VPN is inoperative.

During work time, employees should select materials that are relevant to their assigned work duties.

Get a library card

Support your public libraries and get a free library card. You can access a variety of subscriptions, programs, audiobooks, and e-books remotely. Many libraries are allowing you to sign up for a library card online.

• Timberland Regional Library - online learning
• Pierce County Library System - e-sources

Video tutorials

• LinkedIn Learning (access with a subscription or through your local library for free) 
• Power BI—"Guy in a Cube"
• Ted Talks
• UW free online courses

Communication

• "Don’t Make Me Think" by Steve Krug
• "Crucial Conversations" by Kerry Patterson
• "Thanks for the Feedback" by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
• "Everyone Communicates – Few Connect" by John C. Maxwell
• "Simply Said" by Jay Sullivan

Safety

• "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin de Becker
• "Coronavirus Explained" in episode "How to Cope" on Netflix