The IRS today has ordered its employees to evacuate the building, to help curb the spread of coronavirus among its workers.
“NTEU [National Treasury Employees Union] is doing all we can to make sure employees are provided with clear information and a full explanation of the shifting nature of the IRS workplace,” Reardon said in a statement.
In an email distributed to all agency employees on Friday, IRS Human Capital Officer Robin Bailey wrote that the evacuation order applied to everyone “including employees who are currently not teleworking but whose work is portable or can be adapted to work off-site."
The email message pertains specifically to employees who weren't previously granted telework agreements, adding them to a group of IRS employees who were already telework-eligible.
Prior to the evacuation mandate, managers within the agency decided whether to grant employees teleworking privileges. The IRS is encouraging employees to a telework training course.
It's unclear if and how this order would impact the $1,200 payments most Americans are set to receive in a few weeks, as well as tax returns.
National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon said the transition to working from on-site to remotely could be bumpy for some employees. But he thinks the IRS is within its legal right to make the move.
“The coronavirus pandemic has altered our lives at work and home in new and often unsettling ways.
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