It has been an unusually hot summer. The scorching heat from the sun is making people sweat a lot and some people are even skipping work to stay at home. OPM has tried to resolve this problem by asking agencies to allow federal workers to work from home. Options like these would help the federal employees to have a better health and well being.
The Options Given to Federal Employees
OPM has urged the government agencies to allow the options like work from home or flexible hours to all federal employees. This will help the employees to adjust their schedules in such a manner that they won’t travel when the heat is at its worst. OPM also suggested that employees can take vacation days by requesting an annual leave or earned compensatory time off. They can also opt for options like credit hours especially on the days when heat and humidity threaten the health and welfare of an employee. All these suggestions were made by Beth Cobert, acting Director of OPM in a memorandum to agencies.
Hydration is a Must
Cobert also said that the agency is working in conjunction with the Health and Human Services Department so that the agencies could be reminded to play a proactive role in protecting the well-being and health of the employees. A crucial part of the effort is to ensure that the workers stay hydrated at all times, especially when there is severe heat. She added that every agency should make sure that the employees are protected from the heat waves by having ample amount of water.
The Resources
OPM has also asked the federal workers to monitor all the resources available through HHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration so that they can get some advice on the best methods available to cope with the heat.
The Silent Killer
OPM’s attempts to shield the federal employees are not worthless because the NOAA has recently warned that nearly 124 million Americans can be impacted by the excessive heat in the next few days. The NOAA also divulged that the heat index will probably reach 110 degrees in some areas too. The agency termed this severe heat as a silent killer. This seems to be an apt description as people rarely realize the effects of heat on their health until they are too far gone and need medical care in most cases.
