MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Some of Camp Pendleton’s civilian Marine workforce may save a few days of commute to their offices with a new base order that would allow them to work from home.
The base’s commanding officer, Col. Nicholas F. Marano, signed Base Order 12600.1, March 18 that allows elegible base employees to participate in Telework, a program that enables civilian workers to complete assigned duties and tasks at an alternate location, such as their homes.
“The program provides supervisors and employees an alternative means to accomplish legitimate work requirements,” said Theodore E. Devlin, deputy associate chief of staff, Manpower, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. “Telework also provides options when work space is an issue, and helps injured employees return to work more quickly, following an injury.”
The program allows for two types of alternative work schedules; regular/recurring and ad hoc.
The regular/recurring schedule is designed for employees who will repeatedly work at least one day each pay period, at an alternative worksite. This includes injuries or illnesses that require convalescent leave time.
The ad hoc schedule is for use of an alternative worksite on occasional, one-time or irregular basis, and is only authorized for short durations.
“Using alternative worksites can help with mission accomplishment immensely, especially during local natural disasters, such as wildfires,” said Devlin. “During such occasions, certain base functions would remain uninterrupted, and the mission would continue without sacrifice.”
To be approved for participation in the program, employees must submit a Telework package to their supervisor.
The package must include a proposed Telework agreement that details a complete work schedule of when and where duties will be performed. The package must also reveal a designated location, or area of the home, as an official alternative worksite that also complies with safety requirements listed in a safety checklist. A completed departmental memorandum of agreement, detailing expectations of the work, must also be included. Finally, employees must complete a Telework 101 training course.
All necessary forms to apply for Telework are available at the Marine Corps Electronic Forms System Web site at, http://192.156.19.109/ar/MCEFS.nsf, and the Telework 101 training is available at, http://www.telework.gov/tools_and_resources/training/managers/index.aspx.
Additionally, employees must have a phone and/or email to communicate with their supervisors, coworkers and customers during working hours, and have a childcare plan, as family responsibilities must not interfere with work time. They must also observe all policies for taking leave and be ready to return to base if needed at any time during scheduled working hours.
Once an employee has submitted their request for a Telework schedule, it will be the supervisors’ responsibility to determine whether the position have duties that could be executed at an alternate worksite and will not impair the mission.
Positions will not be approved if they adversely affect the performance of other employees, burden the remaining worksite staff, diminish level of service to customers, require frequent or short-notice face-to-face interactions or present a security risk.
According to the order, suitable Telework candidates should demonstrate dependability, responsibility, satisfactory performance, satisfactory attendance, a record of high personal motivation and good time management skills.
Unsuitable candidates would be those that do not meet basic performance standards, are in trainee or entry-level positions, have been counseled or disciplined for leave abuse and those who have received general disciplinary or adverse actions.
Once employees are deemed suitable by their supervisor, their request is then forwarded to the appropriate assistant chief of staff/directors for final approval.
For more information about the order, contact base’s Civilian Human Resources Office at (760) 763-0439 or visit http://www.cpms.osd.mil/telework.aspx or https://intranet.mciwest.usmc.mil/chro/default.aspx.