To prescribe uniform procedures for the closure of state offices and the treatment of employee absences from work during periods of inclement weather and other emergencies.
Whenever it is determined that the health or safety of citizens, clients, or employees would be placed at risk or that conditions or events prevent performance of regular operations, services or responsibilities assigned to a state agency, closure of an agency or a subsection thereof may be deemed necessary. The Governor shall make decisions regarding the conditions affecting the closure of all agencies statewide or within a geographic region. The head of the Department of Transportation, in situations regarding inclement weather, and the heads of the Department of Public Safety and the State Personnel Administration (with input from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, as necessary) will confer and make recommendations to the Governor regarding agency closures statewide or within a geographic region. Decisions regarding conditions affecting a single agency or subsection thereof shall be made at the discretion of the agency head.
If inclement weather or other emergency conditions affecting all agencies statewide or within a geographic region develop during the workday, agencies will be notified by telephone and/or email of any authorized changes to normal work hours. If such conditions develop during the night and warrant delayed opening or official closing, official announcements will be made by the Governor through the following media outlets:
In Metropolitan Atlanta:
Television Broadcast Station WSB (ABC) Channel 2, and Radio Stations WSB 750 AM and WSB 98.5 FM
shall serve as official notification stations.
In Areas Outside Metropolitan Atlanta:
Local Radio Stations that are part of the Georgia Public Radio Network will carry official
announcements. Agencies with operations outside of metropolitan Atlanta are encouraged to identify
appropriate Network member stations in the areas of need and communicate specific tuning information
(or other instructions, such as a phone number to call) to employees in those areas.
Announcements will be made as soon as possible following any decision to close state operations in any area. Employees should be directed to listen to one of the above stations for information about alternate work hours or office closing, and should be reminded that announcements on other stations may not be accurate. In the absence of official notification of delayed opening or office closure, employees are expected to report to work on time or contact their supervisor or other appropriate agency personnel as directed by their agency head.
Agency heads are responsible for determining the appropriate method of communicating closures that affect only their agency or a subsection thereof.
When an employee is prevented from reporting to work or remaining at work because of the closure of the agency or subsection thereof by action of the Governor or agency head, as applicable, such absence is considered to be with pay and not charged to any accrued leave or compensatory time.
Absences due to an employee's personal circumstances shall be charged to available leave or compensatory time or shall be unpaid. The agency head, at personal discretion, may permit employees to make up the time lost from work in accordance with rule 16 of the Rules of the State Personnel Board, provided non-temporary employees in the unclassified service are treated in the same manner as employees in the classified service.
Employees who are not directly affected by the conditions warranting closure, or who are not scheduled to work during such times, shall not accrue any right to, and shall not be compensated in any manner for, any absence that may be authorized for the employees directly affected.
Employees who are required to work additional time past their scheduled shift may be compensated under provisions of Regulations Governing the Payment of Overtime and Granting of Compensatory Time. Employees who are designated as essential and required to respond during a period of emergency shall be compensated as provided by the Policy for Emergency Response and Subsequent Overtime Compensation, at the applicable rate contained therein.
State Personnel Board Rule 16, Office of Planning and Budget and State Merit System Memorandum for Payment of Overtime and Granting of Compensatory Time (January 17, 1986), and Policy for Emergency Response and Subsequent Overtime Compensation (December 8, 1999).
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