Effective August 23, 2021, Personnel Bulletin 20-06 established the Department of the Interior’s first agency-wide policy for implementing employee-initiated requests for remote work arrangements.
Remote work is an arrangement under which an employee is not expected to report to an agency worksite on a regular and recurring basis—for remote workers, the remote work location is their official duty station (e.g., their home).
Key provisions of the new remote work policy include:
- Applies to all eligible DOI employees except for SES/SL/ST employees
- Clarifies that a remote work arrangement is not an employee entitlement—such arrangements will be considered when they are in the best interest of the agency and are cost-effective for the Bureau/Office
- Requires approval of Bureau Director/Equivalent Office Head (or Bureau Deputy Director/Office Deputy Director) for the first year that the policy is implemented
- Establishes minimum requirements for implementing remote work arrangements, which Bureaus/Offices may supplement in their implementing procedures
- Requires that, if approved, the arrangement must be documented in writing via a remote work agreement, which outlines the expectations between the Bureau/Office and employee
- Permits overseas remote work arrangements—these must be approved by the Bureau Director/Equivalent Office Head, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and the U.S. State Department
DOI Remote Work Policy Documents
DOI Bureau/Office Remote Work Policies
DOI Employees wishing to initiate a remote work agreement need to consult their Bureau/Office supplemental policies to determine the next steps for working remotely. The supplemental Bureau/Office remote work policies may be found below:
Other Remote Work Resources
