A blizzard of a decision...

Written by Anthony Demangone

For those of you who live far from our nation's capital, you may not be aware of the the phrase "OPM Operating Status."  

Oh, but for those near the beltway, those 18 letters and two spaces can consume us! Nearly everyone with a heartbeat types that phrase into their Google Machine up to 60 times an hour the evening following a snow storm. 

For those in the sane parts of the country, please let me explain. "OPM Operating Status" is the working status of the federal government. OPM stands for the Office of Personnel Management. And the poor soul who heads that agency has a whopper of a job come Winter. 

Do they delay the opening or close the federal government in case of bad weather?

Snow storm Jonas dumped two feet and more of snow across the region. Many roads haven't been plowed. The Metro system isn't back at full strength. Sidewalks are a thing of distant memory. And nearly every school district is closed, seemingly until Spring. 

The decision is tough. It must balance safety, and the importance of keeping the government going. Each snow day costs taxpayers roughly $70 million.

And it gets worse - many area businesses base their decision on what the Federal Government does. Millions are affected by the decision.

I've lived here since 1996, and I can say this: The decision rarely goes over well.

• Either it is made too late. (Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning.)
• Or it conflicts with schools. Schools are often more conservative, leaving households where both parents work scrambling to make arrangements to watch their children. 
• Or it is based on policies that always seem a bit dated. Now, many employees are able to telework. But if schools are off, teleworking is a no-no, forcing employees to use annual leave. Is there a middle ground? Not in the policy. But after every decision, there seems to be a tweak or two made for future weather events.

So, to make a long post no longer, I have a pop quiz for all of you. I've given you the scenario. Here's what you have to do. 

Come up with a OPM Operating Status policy that minimizes "belly-aching" from your constituents. Namely, the taxpayers and your employees. 

I'll choose the best one and send it on in to the OPM Director. I'm sure Acting Director Cobert needs all the help she can get tonight. 

And I hope she isn't reading her Twitter account!