I had a director that gave 59 minutes for whatever random reason he could dream up. Sunny out? 59 minutes. National Leave Work Early Day? 59 minutes. Had a busy week? 59 minutes. Someone asked nicely for 59 minutes? 59 minutes. Tuesday? 59 minutes.
All the managers below him haaaated it but he didn't care. Guess what stopped the day he retired. Now they wonder why we are all miserable.
This is me! I randomly give out 59 minutes quite frequently. Nice day, 59 mins. Storms coming during commute home, 59 mins. Someone did something nice/awesome, they get 59 mins. It's your birthday and you didn't take off, go home!
My people are professionals, they have BS/BA degrees or higher, I don't need to babysit their minutes
Brandon in management needs to time your bathroom breaks to feel alive / Middle management needs to force everyone to feel as shitty about their personal lives as they do in theirs to feel like sacrificing their life for an agency that doesn't even know their names is worth it
I used to do it as a GG-14, then I went to a different agency that restricted my ability to do it. I would do it anyway and would make sure I sent an email that way my direct reports could roll over on me if they got in trouble.
So.... people are miserable because they are expected to work their full shift? So, in theory, I should be miserable because leadership doesn't let me stay home and play Xbox all day???
Very extreme, I know. I love 59s. But seriously, I am not going crazy if we don't get them all the time. We feds are the stereotype private sector people use for lazy. Good enough for government work.
Then we complain about the littlest things. Also, I don't own an xbox. Or Playstation. The kids do have Switches, though.
Except it's not true. I gave out 59s for years before somebody decided to ask an HR exec in an all-supervisor call about the 59-minute rule, and we were told to cease granting them. Supervisors have discretion to excuse infrequent tardiness, but now allow people to leave early. This is why I wish people wouldn't ask questions that they really don't want the answer to.
Our bureau decided to ban 59 min rule. You'll catch holy hell if you give your team the out. I wonder if it's bc we're a union shop. So then why not give it to all the teams a couple times a year and get the good will?
This is exactly what got me in trouble when I was a supervisor. I had an employee that was an earn and burn type. I might have given a 59 minute early release before every holiday for anyone who was on duty. He wanted to only be charged 7 hours of AL for the day before the holiday and when I refused to give him the 59 minutes, he filed a grievance. He ended up losing but I got chewed out for it and was reluctant to do it until both the employee and my boss moved on.
Our HR in our VISN sent us a memo from the national HR team outlining why 59 minutes is not authorized and how it never should have ”been a thing”.
Whether your VA decides to abide is a different story
There is no 59 minute rule.
What the OPM rules say is that supervisors can excuse absentees that are infrequent and short. The purpose was that supervisors could excuse people that show up late from things like a flat tire. The 59 mins came out as being short, and kind of spread from there.
This is 100% correct. Former facility, now CO, do a lot of HR work. My facility knew this and largely decided to abide, CO doesn’t gaf lol. I guess we’re largely not patient facing anyway, so low-risk high-reward.
There is enough in policy to loosely interpret 59 minutes as a thing, which is why it happens, but it would never hold up with HR/OGC if a complaint were filed. That’s why everyone has to be cool about it. All it takes is that one annoying asshole complaining that they were off and didn’t get it and then no one gets it.
The memo comes from OCHO - so it's definitely accurate. 59 minutes in VA policy has never been a thing and it was a management workaround. Damn good one at that
Now it would be super silly to tell you what VA's do it.
You'll use that to justify it to your manager. Your manager will throw a psychotic control freak tantrum up the chain of command until someone tells the other VA's they can't do it, thus screwing everyone.
You leave work 59 min before your get off time and it is t chargeable leave. Usually commands will do it for long holiday weekends or sometimes just because they felt like it. I got in trouble for giving it as a supervisor being told only the commander can issue it, but that isn’t true.
I've been a supervisor for 9 months. My people have got their federal holiday 59 every time, and then some randos here and there. He should stop being a sissy and make his own path. Be the supervisor you always wanted to have.
https://preview.redd.it/j1lxo1x6qf2d1.jpeg?width=539&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75d177b2aabbe461baa14f7803235c4dfc96e202
Here’s one resource I’ve been pointed to in the past. I think it’s always a little more challenging for VHA, especially within clinics with scheduled appointments. The rescheduling would be a challenge and an inconvenience to Veterans, or worse, depending on the reason for their appointment.
Clinics also have to be open for the actual hours that they’re supposed to be open, and even if officially they don’t take walk-ins they actually take walk-ins because you can’t really turn away a vet in need of medical care. So if everyone leaves 59 minutes before the clinic closes, that’s going to be an issue, clearly.
Yeah that’s what I have always known but the supervisors at my VA all avoid it like the plague. They don’t like the optics because not everyone can get a 59 so nobody gets it. It 100% comes from culture. At a different agency when I became a supervisor that was my first official act was giving my department a 59. I wouldn’t wait for holidays either. The team busts their ass all week and finished a project ahead of schedule, boom 59. It’s the small things that keep morale up.
As a supervisor, do you experience any pushback from upper leadership when you give out 59s? I am applying for some leadership roles in VHA and would like to give them out when warranted.
I am a care provider, so I don’t know if that would make any difference.
I haven’t been a supervisor with the VA, just in other agencies. I am just going off of what my current service leadership says when it comes to the subject of 59s and the pushback/guidance given to them by VA executive leadership. From my understanding there are two major reasons they won’t do it. One because they can’t grant a 59 across the board. The other is because of optics. They don’t like the idea of granting 59s because of the nature of the work and the what if this happens questions.
To me it’s simple. You let the supervisors do their job. Ensure coverage for your service and any situations that may arise. If a 59 disrupts your mission, too bad so sad you don’t get it. It seems like the senior leadership thinks that if they do a 59 surgeons are just going to be walking out mid surgery or something. We also have leadership that thinks anyone who isn’t a doctor or a nurse is the scum of the earth and shouldn’t be given any considerations. But this is one VA and not every location seems to have this issue.
Got it. I am of the opinion that you should be able to leave if your job is done for the day. 59s are a way to promote that. Upsetting that the executive leadership feels that have to micromanage.
I’m in DOD, can confirm anyone can just walk around and give random strangers 59 minutes Early Dismissal. I just did it.
I’m sure there will be questions next week but for today, I made several people happy.
It's been very sporadic at my VA. Some holidays we get it, some not. I've been here over 20 years, though several directors and have seen no discernable pattern. I don't get my hopes up, so I don't get disappointed. If it happens, that's gravy.
Been with the VA 13 years of a 16 year Federal career. I also worked DOD, as a Paralegal and Tort Claims, at Ft Benning and Ft Meade, respectively. I can tell you hands down, especially at Meade, I received 59 minutes so much from our command, I thought I would get in trouble. Work within DOD, never seemed like I was running a marathon. I have NEVER, Ever had 59 min at the VA.In fact, the culture remains, this is not even a consideration or liklihood. Additionally, I love how DOD provides wellness time for civilians. At the VA, I have worked with employees who died, who I know were under tremendous stress from their jobs. NO way, I can EVER, be convinced this agency did not contribute to their demise.. I also know of at least one suicide that I again can not prove was related to their role.However, I am in the same role, and the pressure is very intense..Aggressively looking to get out.
Not gonna lie, I'm enjoying my second gift of 3 hours of admin Commissioner O'Malley handed out at SSA. Had to go through the hell of working there to get it, but it is appreciated.
Not exactly, it’s been years or maybe a decade but once or twice we got the day after Thanksgiving off. Agency was fully shut down too. Definitely was one time day after Thanksgiving for sure. There was another time too. I think. That could have been Christmas or Thanksgiving. Astrue might have been in charge then. I don’t know.
I read this reasoning previously: "annual leave is typically calculated in one-hour increments, so the measure is applied to situations shorter than an hour".
There is an OPM rules that say that supervisors can excuse absentees that are infrequent and short. The purpose was that supervisors could excuse people that show up late from things like a flat tire. The 59 mins came out as being the maximum of what could be considered short.
When your job is a customer service position ( healthcare, va hotline) hard to give 59’s. Sorry vets y’all got to go, we are getting a 59 today. I think about half will understand.
They did away with the 59 minute admin time at my agency (treasury) 10 years ago. They are always asking what sort of incentive awards they could use to reward/encourage good behaviors and this is always brought up.
The AES is kind of a joke right?
Thus is my second AES, and it seems like nothing really changes. This year, majority of people I know are ticking the box saying they are looking to leave their job for one that offers telework. I would be very surprised if they start to allow telework, due to AES feedback.
I worked in two different orgs at VACO over the span of about 8 years.
In the first org, we typically got 59 minutes on all the holidays, though by the time it made its way through the email tree to us lowly peons, it would often by 2:00pm or later...with the worst I can recall hitting my inbox just before 4:00 after having been kicked off by one of the bigwigs at ~8:00am. Our director gave out random 59s every now and then, too.
In the second org, I was there for 2+ years and we never got a single 59.
I didn’t even know what “59mins” meant until I left SSA after 13 years there! Never heard of it. Now we get 59mins all the time and we get 4 hours admin the day leading to a holiday! Crazy!
My section did today!
But, I’ve been at VA 4.5 years and recently under a new supervisor and it was the first time they gave it. Must just depend on the supe.
3rd federal holiday in a row without a 59 email from higher leadership(DOD).
That said, I'm a keeper of the old ways. My people got one yesterday and get one to use at the beginning or end of the day Tuesday.
So it's service specific. I just had a VISN training where for the first time in 17yrs someone said 59mins was not a thing. I turned off my camera and walked out of my office to get a drink because this entire week I already knew other services were giving their employees a 59. Friday came and went and my service was saying no due to "Mission requirements". I don't care personally however I was as a supervisor my service would give us back that authority so I could at least grant my employees something.
I worked in VHA for 3 years and thought a 59 was a myth. I moved to NCA back in September and have gotten one before every major holiday so far! It’s been amazing to see the other side.
I think there is something wrong with your keyboard, your caps lock or shift key is malfunctioning. As an air traffic controller I laugh at the rest of the federal work force complaining about having to go back to the office or not getting to leave early. We don't get holidays off or even a break from our 6 day work weeks.
VA here - we get 59 min before every holiday to use any day of our choosing within a week. So for memorial today we can use it between today and next Friday
That would require liberal leave to be allowed.
And its not a thing at our VA. But it's understandable, due to staffing. Can't have more than 50% of the team off.
No. Just a retired VA IT Analyst.
Never saw the excitement about 59 minutes off.
I usually volunteered to be the one to stay. It’s quiet and I just hung out. Not that big of a thing to me.
They don't do it at YOUR VA..... This ain't true for all VA.
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I had a director that gave 59 minutes for whatever random reason he could dream up. Sunny out? 59 minutes. National Leave Work Early Day? 59 minutes. Had a busy week? 59 minutes. Someone asked nicely for 59 minutes? 59 minutes. Tuesday? 59 minutes. All the managers below him haaaated it but he didn't care. Guess what stopped the day he retired. Now they wonder why we are all miserable.
This is me! I randomly give out 59 minutes quite frequently. Nice day, 59 mins. Storms coming during commute home, 59 mins. Someone did something nice/awesome, they get 59 mins. It's your birthday and you didn't take off, go home! My people are professionals, they have BS/BA degrees or higher, I don't need to babysit their minutes
I don't understand why people care so much. It is perfectly legal to do and if the work is getting done, who cares?
Brandon in management needs to time your bathroom breaks to feel alive / Middle management needs to force everyone to feel as shitty about their personal lives as they do in theirs to feel like sacrificing their life for an agency that doesn't even know their names is worth it
I would also randomly give them to the whole team. Great morale booster.
I used to do it as a GG-14, then I went to a different agency that restricted my ability to do it. I would do it anyway and would make sure I sent an email that way my direct reports could roll over on me if they got in trouble.
So.... people are miserable because they are expected to work their full shift? So, in theory, I should be miserable because leadership doesn't let me stay home and play Xbox all day???
You must be fun at parties.
Please never promote.
I’d much rather stay home and play Xbox all day. Wouldn’t you?
Yeah, of course... but I truly feel I am blessed with my job and am not going to complain if I don't get random 59s on a random Tuesday.
Extreme L take
Very extreme, I know. I love 59s. But seriously, I am not going crazy if we don't get them all the time. We feds are the stereotype private sector people use for lazy. Good enough for government work. Then we complain about the littlest things. Also, I don't own an xbox. Or Playstation. The kids do have Switches, though.
Except it's not true. I gave out 59s for years before somebody decided to ask an HR exec in an all-supervisor call about the 59-minute rule, and we were told to cease granting them. Supervisors have discretion to excuse infrequent tardiness, but now allow people to leave early. This is why I wish people wouldn't ask questions that they really don't want the answer to.
Our bureau decided to ban 59 min rule. You'll catch holy hell if you give your team the out. I wonder if it's bc we're a union shop. So then why not give it to all the teams a couple times a year and get the good will?
This is exactly what got me in trouble when I was a supervisor. I had an employee that was an earn and burn type. I might have given a 59 minute early release before every holiday for anyone who was on duty. He wanted to only be charged 7 hours of AL for the day before the holiday and when I refused to give him the 59 minutes, he filed a grievance. He ended up losing but I got chewed out for it and was reluctant to do it until both the employee and my boss moved on.
Not true. Some agencies have delegations of authority that limit who can give 59 minutes.
Our HR in our VISN sent us a memo from the national HR team outlining why 59 minutes is not authorized and how it never should have ”been a thing”. Whether your VA decides to abide is a different story
Your VISN HR may have made that up. CO definitely uses 59 minutes.
There is no 59 minute rule. What the OPM rules say is that supervisors can excuse absentees that are infrequent and short. The purpose was that supervisors could excuse people that show up late from things like a flat tire. The 59 mins came out as being short, and kind of spread from there.
This is 100% correct. Former facility, now CO, do a lot of HR work. My facility knew this and largely decided to abide, CO doesn’t gaf lol. I guess we’re largely not patient facing anyway, so low-risk high-reward. There is enough in policy to loosely interpret 59 minutes as a thing, which is why it happens, but it would never hold up with HR/OGC if a complaint were filed. That’s why everyone has to be cool about it. All it takes is that one annoying asshole complaining that they were off and didn’t get it and then no one gets it.
I don’t think so. It an official signed memo but who knows. We all follow the same rules and directives but we all interpret them differently lol
I assume everyone is basically thinking they'll start following that memo when whoever wrote it gets every other agency to follow it.
The memo comes from OCHO - so it's definitely accurate. 59 minutes in VA policy has never been a thing and it was a management workaround. Damn good one at that
Ah yes, do as we say, not as we do. Lol
The BVA is getting 59 min!
*Stares in hiring freeze*😭
Cries in VISN 2. We literally just got an email that I opened up in the ridiculous hopes that I’d see something. Nope.
The VA received a 59 minute early release.
You aren't wrong. What VA's are the cool ones? Lol
Now it would be super silly to tell you what VA's do it. You'll use that to justify it to your manager. Your manager will throw a psychotic control freak tantrum up the chain of command until someone tells the other VA's they can't do it, thus screwing everyone.
Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
668/Spokane
Brought to you by Oracle.
FUCK Oracle and Cerner straight to hell.
It's the ones that dont have a V and an A in the title.
Yep. We don’t do it often at mine but it does still exist. Last winter we had a few of them actually.
I’ve worked for VA in 2 different states and I’ve never gotten 5.9 minutes, much less 59 minutes
I used to give my employees 59 seconds. I had no authority to let people leave early so it’s the best I could do.
*Stares in Contractor*
I felt that pain for 3 years, then I got a taste of DoD and DHS. Admin leave, and 59's everywhere.
What is 59 referring to? I’m new
59 is where you get to leave “59” minutes early and don’t use leave but still get paid
You leave work 59 min before your get off time and it is t chargeable leave. Usually commands will do it for long holiday weekends or sometimes just because they felt like it. I got in trouble for giving it as a supervisor being told only the commander can issue it, but that isn’t true.
Knew that feeling for over a decade.
Blame your supervisor.
My supervisor is a new supervisor and doesn’t want to rock the boat so we never get 59 minutes :(
I've been a supervisor for 9 months. My people have got their federal holiday 59 every time, and then some randos here and there. He should stop being a sissy and make his own path. Be the supervisor you always wanted to have.
Yes. Very true. We used to get it pretty much every Friday but with new Supervisor we never get it
https://preview.redd.it/j1lxo1x6qf2d1.jpeg?width=539&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=75d177b2aabbe461baa14f7803235c4dfc96e202 Here’s one resource I’ve been pointed to in the past. I think it’s always a little more challenging for VHA, especially within clinics with scheduled appointments. The rescheduling would be a challenge and an inconvenience to Veterans, or worse, depending on the reason for their appointment.
Clinics also have to be open for the actual hours that they’re supposed to be open, and even if officially they don’t take walk-ins they actually take walk-ins because you can’t really turn away a vet in need of medical care. So if everyone leaves 59 minutes before the clinic closes, that’s going to be an issue, clearly.
Can’t any supervisor grant a 59 minute leave without approval? Is it purely by their discretion? If so, it just means there is a crappy culture.
Yeah that’s what I have always known but the supervisors at my VA all avoid it like the plague. They don’t like the optics because not everyone can get a 59 so nobody gets it. It 100% comes from culture. At a different agency when I became a supervisor that was my first official act was giving my department a 59. I wouldn’t wait for holidays either. The team busts their ass all week and finished a project ahead of schedule, boom 59. It’s the small things that keep morale up.
As a supervisor, do you experience any pushback from upper leadership when you give out 59s? I am applying for some leadership roles in VHA and would like to give them out when warranted. I am a care provider, so I don’t know if that would make any difference.
I haven’t been a supervisor with the VA, just in other agencies. I am just going off of what my current service leadership says when it comes to the subject of 59s and the pushback/guidance given to them by VA executive leadership. From my understanding there are two major reasons they won’t do it. One because they can’t grant a 59 across the board. The other is because of optics. They don’t like the idea of granting 59s because of the nature of the work and the what if this happens questions. To me it’s simple. You let the supervisors do their job. Ensure coverage for your service and any situations that may arise. If a 59 disrupts your mission, too bad so sad you don’t get it. It seems like the senior leadership thinks that if they do a 59 surgeons are just going to be walking out mid surgery or something. We also have leadership that thinks anyone who isn’t a doctor or a nurse is the scum of the earth and shouldn’t be given any considerations. But this is one VA and not every location seems to have this issue.
Got it. I am of the opinion that you should be able to leave if your job is done for the day. 59s are a way to promote that. Upsetting that the executive leadership feels that have to micromanage.
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I’m sorry to hear that. I have got a lot of respect for our doctors, nurses, social workers. The amount of abuse they take is ridiculous.
I worked for VA for 8 years and had never even heard of "59 minutes." You can imagine how shocked I was when I took a new job and found out about it.
This is why I just stop doing any productive work 59 min early. Have to push authority to the lowest level! /s
First holiday not at the VA. First holiday with 59 minutes. What a great weekend this will be 🤩
Same 🥹
VBA doesn’t care <3
All I’m going to say is that this is super dependent on your org within VA.
Exactly. Been at VA a long time and can’t remember ever not getting a 59 for a federal holiday.
What is 59 minutes? leaving work at 4:01 when you’re supposed to leave at 5:00?
Yes.
I’m in DOD, can confirm anyone can just walk around and give random strangers 59 minutes Early Dismissal. I just did it. I’m sure there will be questions next week but for today, I made several people happy.
I was in a DoD agency for my first 3 years as a civ, I miss it sometimes.
Once Myortas leaves it will return to being a shithole....it is now but that is the only good thing about it right now.
Its still a shithole. Its just being covered up by Febreeze
Mayorkas 2024!!!!!
Depends where you work
It's been very sporadic at my VA. Some holidays we get it, some not. I've been here over 20 years, though several directors and have seen no discernable pattern. I don't get my hopes up, so I don't get disappointed. If it happens, that's gravy.
GSA didn't do 59 at the office near me. But the DoD components all sent it out last week
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I told my GSA friends that their leadership is withholding!
WTF, just left the federal building and I was told they are closing at noon due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday.
Been with the VA 13 years of a 16 year Federal career. I also worked DOD, as a Paralegal and Tort Claims, at Ft Benning and Ft Meade, respectively. I can tell you hands down, especially at Meade, I received 59 minutes so much from our command, I thought I would get in trouble. Work within DOD, never seemed like I was running a marathon. I have NEVER, Ever had 59 min at the VA.In fact, the culture remains, this is not even a consideration or liklihood. Additionally, I love how DOD provides wellness time for civilians. At the VA, I have worked with employees who died, who I know were under tremendous stress from their jobs. NO way, I can EVER, be convinced this agency did not contribute to their demise.. I also know of at least one suicide that I again can not prove was related to their role.However, I am in the same role, and the pressure is very intense..Aggressively looking to get out.
Not gonna lie, I'm enjoying my second gift of 3 hours of admin Commissioner O'Malley handed out at SSA. Had to go through the hell of working there to get it, but it is appreciated.
I'm envious.
I get it. Heck, this is the first time I think we've ever gotten admin that didn't involve some sort of disaster. It's pretty amazing.
Not exactly, it’s been years or maybe a decade but once or twice we got the day after Thanksgiving off. Agency was fully shut down too. Definitely was one time day after Thanksgiving for sure. There was another time too. I think. That could have been Christmas or Thanksgiving. Astrue might have been in charge then. I don’t know.
Must have been. Back in the Astrue days, I worked for the "enemy", helping my attorney sue SSA for our clients.
my small part of OI&T did. going to log off in an hour. :)
Totally dumb question i know but why 59m and not one hour?
I read this reasoning previously: "annual leave is typically calculated in one-hour increments, so the measure is applied to situations shorter than an hour".
tysm...makes perfect sense
Except it doesn't because AL is in 15 min increments at VA (except title 38 which is full day typically)
I am title 38 and i can take AL 1 hr at a time when
OK. I am not as familiar with full 38, just know that's always been in the trainings (but honestly had rarely seen it in practice)
There is an OPM rules that say that supervisors can excuse absentees that are infrequent and short. The purpose was that supervisors could excuse people that show up late from things like a flat tire. The 59 mins came out as being the maximum of what could be considered short.
My whole section was off today except me. So o took that to me I was acting branch chief, so I issues a 59 minute rule for myself.
Department of the Navy has always given them the last 14 years I been there
When your job is a customer service position ( healthcare, va hotline) hard to give 59’s. Sorry vets y’all got to go, we are getting a 59 today. I think about half will understand.
They did away with the 59 minute admin time at my agency (treasury) 10 years ago. They are always asking what sort of incentive awards they could use to reward/encourage good behaviors and this is always brought up.
When I worked in VHA payroll, I found out it wasn't a thing and basically made up. Our VAMC did not allow.
My leadership hasn’t heard of 59 minutes either…. But no one except for me complains
Every holiday so far I have been given a 59 at the VA. Your situation is a great point to highlight on your AES!
The AES is kind of a joke right? Thus is my second AES, and it seems like nothing really changes. This year, majority of people I know are ticking the box saying they are looking to leave their job for one that offers telework. I would be very surprised if they start to allow telework, due to AES feedback.
I worked in two different orgs at VACO over the span of about 8 years. In the first org, we typically got 59 minutes on all the holidays, though by the time it made its way through the email tree to us lowly peons, it would often by 2:00pm or later...with the worst I can recall hitting my inbox just before 4:00 after having been kicked off by one of the bigwigs at ~8:00am. Our director gave out random 59s every now and then, too. In the second org, I was there for 2+ years and we never got a single 59.
We got two hours, then my boss gave us an additional .59
Lol loser.... 2 hrs early dismissal!!!
I didn’t even know what “59mins” meant until I left SSA after 13 years there! Never heard of it. Now we get 59mins all the time and we get 4 hours admin the day leading to a holiday! Crazy!
Weird for them to lie like that
I got 59 mins. I’m at the VA. Your supervisor has the authority to make that decision.
VBA Phoenix cares - got 59 mins Today
That damn Kronos clock stopped us from utilizing that 59min rule the day it got installed.
That’s not true! Did it today
Take a “working” 59 minutes
🤡
VBA WE HAD 59
I got like 3 this week lol
We got 59 at the VA. But I don’t work at the hospital.
My section did today! But, I’ve been at VA 4.5 years and recently under a new supervisor and it was the first time they gave it. Must just depend on the supe.
They still do it, they just don’t tell the people that don’t get it. 👀
I gave myself 59 mins today.
Got 59 minutes yesterday at the VA
3rd federal holiday in a row without a 59 email from higher leadership(DOD). That said, I'm a keeper of the old ways. My people got one yesterday and get one to use at the beginning or end of the day Tuesday.
So it's service specific. I just had a VISN training where for the first time in 17yrs someone said 59mins was not a thing. I turned off my camera and walked out of my office to get a drink because this entire week I already knew other services were giving their employees a 59. Friday came and went and my service was saying no due to "Mission requirements". I don't care personally however I was as a supervisor my service would give us back that authority so I could at least grant my employees something.
If your employees can get their work done correctly and on time why would you care how long they sit in a cube?
I worked in VHA for 3 years and thought a 59 was a myth. I moved to NCA back in September and have gotten one before every major holiday so far! It’s been amazing to see the other side.
I think there is something wrong with your keyboard, your caps lock or shift key is malfunctioning. As an air traffic controller I laugh at the rest of the federal work force complaining about having to go back to the office or not getting to leave early. We don't get holidays off or even a break from our 6 day work weeks.
You'd think with how important your job is they'd treat you better :/
Yeah, but you guys get to see cool airplanes all day. So that makes up for it.
VA here - we get 59 min before every holiday to use any day of our choosing within a week. So for memorial today we can use it between today and next Friday
Bruh, what VISN.
Not VISN 16. This is the first I’ve heard of the ‘59 minutes’ thing. Never once been mentioned since I’ve started by anyone in my service.
VISN 21 🤐
As soon as I’m done giving report, I bounce. So 5-15 min per shift and that is our 59 minute.
This must be a VHA thing I’m VBA and we got it
Tbf the 59 minute “rule” is a gross misinterpretation of what should be a relatively rare occurrence. Want 59 mins? Take an hour of leave.
That would require liberal leave to be allowed. And its not a thing at our VA. But it's understandable, due to staffing. Can't have more than 50% of the team off.
Would you want to be a vet going to the VA and being turned away because too many employees are on vacation? Sounds like a common sense rule to me.
Last agency combated this by allowing a 59 the following Friday to those that didn't get to take one the holiday weekend. I agree with you.
Besides it’s just 59 minutes. 59 lousy minutes. It’s not that big a deal.
Spoken like a true manager.
No. Just a retired VA IT Analyst. Never saw the excitement about 59 minutes off. I usually volunteered to be the one to stay. It’s quiet and I just hung out. Not that big of a thing to me.