HUD officials nix flexible work schedules for managers

Top-level managers at the Housing and Urban Development Department will no longer have the option of working longer days so they can have shorter work weeks, according to a July 19 memo issued by HUD Deputy Secretary Alphonso Jackson. The memo revoked HUD managers' option of working longer days and taking a day off every other week, rather than the traditional 8-hour, 5-day work week schedule. The new schedule applies to all managers and supervisors at GS-14 and above, and becomes effective on Sept. 9. Managers can still choose an arrival time between 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. with their supervisor's approval. HUD Secretary Mel Martinez supported doing away with the perk, saying in a written statement that most senior managers at HUD need to be available during a normal work week. According to Jackson, the efforts of supervisors, managers and members of the Senior Executive Service are critical if HUD is to meet the Bush administration's goal of better management for the department. "Improved management requires adequate oversight in the delivery of HUD programs," Jackson wrote. "To that end, managers and supervisors should be available to provide staff oversight, as well as to respond to the assistant secretaries and our customers." Some reasonable flexibility should have been allowed in rescinding the alternative work schedule, said Senior Executives Association President Carol A. Bonosaro. "We bemoan the lack of flexibility in government and then we promptly implement rules prohibiting flexibility," she said. "It's understandable that political leadership expects to have managers and supervisors available five days a week, eight hours a day, but on the other hand, we are expecting those managers and supervisors to exercise leadership and to use some judgment about getting the job done, which presumably includes ensuring there is a supervisory presence, as the memo suggests."