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In a typical year, if you have more than a couple of days of Use-or-Lose coming into Thanksgiving, you are loving up and need to re-evaluate your life choices. 2020 is turbofucked hellword tho
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Dec 8, 2020 07:18
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Toshimo posted:In a typical year, if you have more than a couple of days of Use-or-Lose coming into Thanksgiving, you are loving up and need to re-evaluate your life choices. I acknowledge that I have basically no life and thus have to take off most of December to not forfeit any most years.
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Dec 8, 2020 07:53
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Toshimo posted:In a typical year, if you have more than a couple of days of Use-or-Lose coming into Thanksgiving, you are loving up and need to re-evaluate your life choices. It was amazing if I ever had more than 40 hours available to me at any given time, and that was with being able to earn up to 24 hours of banked time off at any point. Of course, lots of the people I worked with also did 10+ hours of overtime every week on top of never taking time off, so I just ... I just fundamentally cannot relate to that mindset (Though yes, this all helped ensure I had to use VLTP on my way out the door in order to not owe the government money, so I understand the appeal of having a little buffer)
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Dec 8, 2020 08:01
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Toshimo posted:In a typical year, if you have more than a couple of days of Use-or-Lose coming into Thanksgiving, you are loving up and need to re-evaluate your life choices. counterpoint: AWS rules and makes it comically hard to spend down leave outside of loving off for 6-8 weeks at a time....which...during a pandemic why bother?
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Dec 8, 2020 08:42
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My current agency has a 360 AL leave cap and is not enforcing use or lose this year. My previous agency was at 240.
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Dec 8, 2020 09:59
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Oh yeah, I guess that's coming up this Friday. It's like looking forward to Christmas, wondering if you will get extra presents from Santa Claus or be stuffed in Krampus's sack.
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Dec 8, 2020 16:13
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I feel like even with AWS (possibly especially with AWS) I'd still err on the side of spending instead of saving my leave because I can only take so much of the calls some days. It doesn't help I've not been in fed service long enough to get tons of leave easily. Third shutdown in my first three years will be a sign of... something. I'm not sure what but nothing good.
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Dec 8, 2020 16:55
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what does AWS mean in this context?
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Dec 8, 2020 17:35
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Spacewolf posted:what does AWS mean in this context? Alternative Work Schedule: Either a Compressed Work Schedule (CWS) or Flexible Work Schedule (FWS) CWS: Working longer hours for less days. Typically 4/40 or 5/4/9. FWS: Being allowed broader freedom in when to get your 80 hours in, not bound to the typical core business hours. Toshimo fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Dec 8, 2020 |
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Dec 8, 2020 17:40
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I've literally never had an hour of use or lose in 13 years. Maybe in two years when I'm getting a day of leave every pay period.
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Dec 8, 2020 19:03
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Toshimo posted:In a typical year, if you have more than a couple of days of Use-or-Lose coming into Thanksgiving, you are loving up and need to re-evaluate your life choices. I'm takeoff the last two weeks of the year and cruising into 2021 with the full 240 hours. That's ideal for me.
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Dec 8, 2020 19:42
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Like others have mentioned - for some people it’s just that they bank a ton of credit hours so they never have much of a need to use annual leave. On the other hand there was a guy I worked with that always humble bragged about never taking leave and having to deal with use or lose each December. Though I think for him part of the calculus was that he was close to retirement and wanted to get the maximum payout for his annual leave when he separated. My annual leave bank always seems to hover around 100 hours. I’m always taking a day or two here and there every few weeks. I would love to do 5/4/9 again but it isn’t really possible to manage an AWS with doing drop off/pickup from daycare.
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Dec 8, 2020 19:43
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laxbro posted:for some people it’s just that they bank a ton of credit hours But, why?
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Dec 8, 2020 19:45
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Is there an idiot proof guide on what to look for when filling out the federal resume? I am looking at the resume builder on the USAJOBS site but am curious if there is specific verbiage I should be using. I have a lot of military experience and may be able to transfer some of the information from my fitness reports (annual evaluations) into my resume but I imagine that I will need to translate a lot of the information into something more easily digestible by someone without a military background.
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Dec 8, 2020 19:46
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Toshimo posted:But, why? Speaking for at least myself, since I am one such person, I feel blessed that taking time off work just...doesn't have much utility for me. I'm not married, don't have kids, don't have pets. I'm an engineer and when I have free time at home I enjoy tinkering with fun electronics projects, like this year I designed an FPGA wavetable (music) synthesizer and just spent a few weeks designing a modification for my coffee machine to use a PID controller to set brew temperature for espresso. When I'm at work I...uh...enjoy tinkering with a different set of fun electronics projects. My chain of command doesn't micromanage me really, so my workflow is only really made less enjoyable by the normal barriers of working for the DoD like dealing with stupid NIPR and DREN internet, and having to deal with CHESS/GSA nonsense to get tools I need. On the upside though, I also get to play with things I wouldn't get to work with at home easily, like multi-million gate FPGAs and SATCOM stuff. I'm pretty much taking off the rest of December after this week because of use-or-lose, and I certainly don't hate it. I'm thinking I might do a redesign of that synthesizer to upgrade it from monophonic to polyphonic, and that'll be fun, but like...there's just no real pressing need or even particular pressing want to take leave for me, if that makes any sense.
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Dec 8, 2020 20:32
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Hekk posted:Is there an idiot proof guide on what to look for when filling out the federal resume? I am looking at the resume builder on the USAJOBS site but am curious if there is specific verbiage I should be using. I have a lot of military experience and may be able to transfer some of the information from my fitness reports (annual evaluations) into my resume but I imagine that I will need to translate a lot of the information into something more easily digestible by someone without a military background. Use the resume builder and then make sure to use the same keywords as in the position description when you apply for each announcement. Federal resumes are meant to be many many pages.
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Dec 8, 2020 21:22
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Toshimo posted:But, why? Early in my career when told there was a meeting I needed to be at or trip to go on I didn’t realize that it was acceptable to say that I had leave scheduled, which combined with other shenanigans in the 2002-2006 timeframe meant that I was bouncing off the leave cap four years in. I got a little better, but then ran into management where I assumed they were looking at one of the six calendars they demanded we put our leave on before asking me to do stuff. After I got bitched at for use or lose I retorted with the 15 days of leave I had cancelled between January and March at their request and pointed out that if they wanted me not to have a giant balance they needed to stop asking me to cancel leave. That improved a little, but I had several instances where they asked me to do something over leave and I replied “sure, just pay me back the 2500 bucks for airfare and tickets I already put down and I’ll stay out here as long as you want.” Strangely enough the requirements were never really all that required after all. Ultimately work is getting eleven months of nigh-uninterrupted uptime out of me so they can figure out what the gently caress they want to do in month twelve of each year; I’m good but I’m not irreplaceable. Being real honest here, there’s always stuff to do at work and for me it’s partially because I don’t have anything pressuring me not to be at work. Which isn’t good but it’s what I have.
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Dec 8, 2020 21:47
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Toshimo posted:But, why? Because my PI is intense and demanding enough to make heart rates spike throughout the lab every time his name is mentioned, and I don't want to fall behind on a project and end up in a 1 on 1 conversation with him. It's kind of like preferring to live in an empty house and sleeping on the floor, because no bed or couch could ever be as comfortable as the security of knowing that windfall money is safe in the bank for when your life inevitably falls apart.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:18
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treat posted:Because my PI is intense and demanding enough to make heart rates spike throughout the lab every time his name is mentioned, and I don't want to fall behind on a project and end up in a 1 on 1 conversation with him. It's kind of like preferring to live in an empty house and sleeping on the floor, because no bed or couch could ever be as comfortable as the security of knowing that windfall money is safe in the bank for when your life inevitably falls apart. Treat yourself better, no pun intended.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:33
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If you have Use-or-Lose and credit hours, it means you are part of the monolithic government machina and your cog cannot and will not be replaced if you take the personal time you have earned in a way that gives you a better work/life balance and peace of mind. If your management tries to squash your leave requests: gently caress 'em. You earned that time and it belongs to you and if they managed better, they would not feel like they needed your presence to keep their plates in the air.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:36
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Toshimo posted:But, why? Some of us are OT exempt. Most of the time id rather take time off instead of getting paid OT at my hourly rate. I always take comp time or credit hours for the most part except around the holidays. One of my co workers is always riding ships which is 16 hours a day so he takes like the last 3 months of every year off.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:43
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PneumonicBook posted:Some of us are OT exempt. Most of the time id rather take time off instead of getting paid OT at my hourly rate. That's fair, but I feel like that's the tiniest minority of folks here. Most folks I see hoarding leave like it's potions in an RPG they are saving for the final boss are just doing themselves a disservice and enabling poo poo management and I swear to God I will come down like on each of you with a divine fury until you start putting your needs above that of your lovely boss.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:49
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PS: If you are having difficulty actually enjoying your time off because you are so stressed out and tired from all the credit hours you worked, that's hosed up, too. Stop doing that thing.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:50
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PneumonicBook posted:Some of us are OT exempt. Most of the time id rather take time off instead of getting paid OT at my hourly rate. I’m OT exempt and it’s one of the biggest loving scams around in fedgov.
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Dec 8, 2020 22:57
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I do not understand at all how type A driven personalities end up in government. I’m here because I wanted something chill and reliable. I’ve maxed out my leave accrual rate so I get tons of leave and I am delighted to take all the time off work I feel like. Living for your job and having no outside interests or activities sounds miserable.
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Dec 8, 2020 23:44
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From what I've seen, contractors will switch once they have kids and need the more flexible schedule, if available, and the better healthcare. And they'll take a pay-cut to do it.
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Dec 9, 2020 00:17
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I like having a nice reserve of annual leave because I never know when I'll have to take time off to take care of the kid. Some such instances call for sick leave, but it's nice to have a thick cushion on both fronts. I think most parents are end up saving their leave for kid stuff .
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Dec 9, 2020 01:56
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I finish each year within 10 hours of the cap. I also always work the holidays, since I’m telework, they make me the acting manager, and there’s literally nothing going on. It took me a LONG time to get to the cap. Working 4 10s for a while really helped, though. Having 3 day weekends every week kept me from wanting to take random days just to avoid work.
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Dec 9, 2020 01:59
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What's the best possible maximized way to take a huge LOA for a new baby? My thoughts: With the new law, you start by taking 12 weeks paid. Then drop the rolled over 240 hours of annual leave plus whatever other AL you've accrued since the year began. Then dump a bunch of sick leave, maybe a few more months. Paid six months off easy, assuming you can do 240 annual + 240 sick. Depending on sick leave reserves and additional AL accrual you could probably squeeze out another month or two. Regulations seem to encourage a flexible use of all possible leave for babies, so I think it could be done without much pushback. and if your spouse were also a fed...  I haven't looked into if you can take unpaid FMLA in addition to the new paid leave, or if they're stacked.
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Dec 9, 2020 02:05
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Loucks posted:I do not understand at all how type A driven personalities end up in government. I’m here because I wanted something chill and reliable. I’ve maxed out my leave accrual rate so I get tons of leave and I am delighted to take all the time off work I feel like. Living for your job and having no outside interests or activities sounds miserable. Type A people exist everywhere, ensuring all fields are far more miserable than they need to be
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Dec 9, 2020 02:33
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Howard Phillips posted:Use the resume builder and then make sure to use the same keywords as in the position description when you apply for each announcement. Federal resumes are meant to be many many pages. Thanks for the feedback on this.
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Dec 9, 2020 04:29
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Thesaurus posted:What's the best possible maximized way to take a huge LOA for a new baby? I’ve been doing similar planning. The new leave is paid FMLA, so once you exhaust the 12 weeks then you can’t take unpaid FMLA. You also can’t (depending on management flexibility) stack sick leave onto the end, unless it’s for a legitimate medical purpose. OPM has a guide book here (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-ove...foster-care.pdf), it doesn’t address the new 12 week provision but other than that it should be accurate. I found it really helpful last year for #1. The way to do it seems to be: Take 6-8 weeks SL after the baby is born, in support of recovery after birth/care of the mother during recovery Take the 12 weeks paid FMLA family leave, IF you haven’t otherwise used FMLA in the last year Take those 240h of AL.
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Dec 9, 2020 12:54
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Midjack posted:I’m OT exempt and it’s one of the biggest loving scams around in fedgov. Pretty sure everyone OT exempt is also exempt from the paid family leave which is incredibly hosed up.
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Dec 9, 2020 15:24
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Can I take sick leave for a medical appointment?
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Dec 9, 2020 18:36
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Howard Phillips posted:Can I take sick leave for a medical appointment? Yes, at least in my agency.
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Dec 9, 2020 18:43
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It is also a very common way to take an afternoon off, as I knew several people who scheduled appointments for early Friday afternoon and just did not come back. Ever again
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Dec 9, 2020 19:10
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Howard Phillips posted:Can I take sick leave for a medical appointment? You can also use it to take care of a sick family member, which is honestly very useful for anyone with kids who have to stay home sick from school or need to be taken to checkups. Kolodny posted:I’ve been doing similar planning. The new leave is paid FMLA, so once you exhaust the 12 weeks then you can’t take unpaid FMLA. Excellent thinking. It occurred to me after the fact that it have to support the sick leave, and placing it at the begining of the leave is smart. I could see doing sick, annual, and then the parental leave on a part-time basis at the end to create a drawn out gradual return to work. My understanding is they you can split up the 12 weeks as needed. Eg maybe work 2 or 3 day weeks for a few months. If you want to get really creative, I know you can also use advance sick/annual leave (creating s negative balance) with approval.
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Dec 9, 2020 19:25
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Yeah I do it all the time, schedule Dr. appointments in the late AM, easy reason to take a half day + off. Or a whole day in some cases hah.
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Dec 9, 2020 19:26
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I never have any leave. I like taking a day off here and there. Maybe when the kids are out of the house I'll switch to WAH 4-10s.
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Dec 9, 2020 19:28
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My kids getting older is the only reason I’ve been able to bank any sick leave at all. Burned through that as soon as I got it when they were younger.
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Dec 9, 2020 20:15
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