EPA needs to better calculate the value of time off – By Jessie Bur (Federal Times) / Jan 2 2020
Federal agencies have the discretion to offer their employees time off instead of or in addition to a monetary award for exemplary work, but the Environmental Protection Agency has failed to develop a standard for determining the value of time off, according to an agency Inspector General report issued Dec. 30.
According to regulation, an agency may give an award of $5,000 or less without higher-level approval, and it is up to leadership to ensure that the award offered equals the value of the work done.
“EPA does not determine the equivalent value for time-off awards because there is no defined methodology or formal guidance documenting how time off awards should be valued. Without a defined value for time off awards, the agency cannot determine whether a combined award is commensurate with the employee’s achievements,” the report said.
“For example, under the EPA’s interim policy, the following two awards would be assessed as having the same value, and neither would require higher-level approval: a $5,000 monetary award; a $5,000 monetary award and 40 hours of time off. Further, a single monetary award of $5,001 would require a higher-level approval than the combined award of $5,000 and 40 hours, which would not require any additional review.”
The lack of a standard for time-off awards’ value means that supervisors have to come up with their own methods for determining what kind of work merits what kind of award, and employees from different units could end up getting radically different awards for the same work.
Continue to article: https://www.federaltimes.com/management/hr/2020/01/02/epa-needs-to-better-calculate-the-value-of-time-off/
