1. (a) Senior staff is defined as staff members reporting directly to a member of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) Executive Team.
(b) Refer to DHS:2-1-3 for definition of senior administrators.
2. (a) Such absences are charged to:
(1) enforced leave when such leave is available;
(2) accumulated compensatory time balances;
(3) accumulated annual leave; or
(4) the leave may be made up through workweek or work period adjustments consistent with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), if office hours and schedules permit.
(b) More than one option may be exercised to account for an automatically authorized absence. If the absence cannot be accounted for by exercising these options, leave of absence without pay is utilized.
(c) Employees on previously approved leave status before an official announcement is made to reduce OKDHS services remains on such approved leave status.
3. (a) For OKDHS county offices outside the seven-county Oklahoma City metropolitan area, the Field Operations Division (FOD) director is authorized to make the decision to reduce OKDHS services in county offices after consultation with the respective area director and county directors. The FOD director notifies the OKDHS Director and the Secretary of Safety and Security in writing of closures outside the seven-county Oklahoma City metropolitan area. In counties containing more than one OKDHS office, if the courthouse is closed by the county commissioners and the OKDHS county office remains open, employees whose duty station is at the courthouse will go to the OKDHS county office to report for work.
(b) Due to the nature of services provided by OKDHS institutions, shelters, and other residential care facilities, their services are not reduced during inclement weather.
(c) Decisions concerning the reduction of services due to hazardous weather conditions in OKDHS offices outside of the seven-county Oklahoma City metropolitan area and decisions for locations other than FOD offices or OKDHS institutions, shelters, and other residential care facilities are made by the respective senior administrator or division director after consultation with the area director, if applicable, and the local office administrator. The senior administrator or division director notifies the Secretary of Safety and Security in writing of closures outside the seven-county Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
4. (a) In the seven-county metropolitan Oklahoma City area, essential staff are charged annual leave or leave without pay for hours not worked due to arriving later than the beginning of their normal workday or departing earlier than the end of their normal workday.
(b) In the seven-county metropolitan Oklahoma City area, non-essential staff allowed to arrive late or leave early may choose to be charged enforced leave or annual leave. Staff, which is both non-essential and FLSA non-exempt, may also choose to be charged compensatory time or be afforded a workweek adjustment upon approval from the appropriate supervisor.
(c) Employees of all OKDHS institutions, shelters, and other residential care facilities are to arrive and depart work as scheduled.
(d) Decisions concerning employees arriving late or departing early due to hazardous weather conditions in OKDHS offices outside of the seven-county Oklahoma City metropolitan area and decisions for locations other than FOD offices or OKDHS institutions, shelters, and other residential care facilities are made by the respective senior administrator or division director after consultation with the division area director, if applicable, and the local office administrator.
5. Examples of reasons for temporarily closing an office, institution, or residential care facility are:
(1) leaks of toxic fumes in buildings;
(2) life threatening damage to building structures;
(3) emergency operations that would be disrupted by the presence of the usual work force; or
(4) any other condition that poses a significant threat to the safety of the work force.
6. (a) Requests to close an office are made by the office administrator to the appropriate senior administrator or division director who, in turn, requests approval from the OKDHS Director to close the office.
(b) In FOD county offices, county directors make the request to the area director who contacts the senior administrator who requests approval from the OKDHS Director to close the office.
(c) Employees on paid administrative leave pursuant to this policy are on stand-by or on-call status during their normal duty hours.
(d) The appropriate senior administrator or division director instructs the employees in the closed office, institution, or residential care facility to return to their normal duties upon the end of the unsafe working condition or may respond to the demands of the situation as necessary.
7. OKDHS employees scheduled to work in the closed area are either placed on paid administrative leave or assigned to work in another location.
8. Requests to close all or part of an institution or residential care facility are made by the institutional superintendent or facility administrator to the appropriate senior administrator or division director who, in turn, requests approval from the OKDHS Director to close the office.
9. Employees on paid administrative leave pursuant to this policy are on stand-by or on-call status during their normal duty hours.
10.The appropriate senior administrator or division director instructs the employees in the closed institution or residential care facility to return to their normal duties upon the end of the unsafe working condition or may respond to the demands of the situation as necessary.