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At the risk of facing derision from my colleagues here on the blog who hail from much snowier parts of the country, I must say that I have always loved a good snow day. Living in the Baltimore area all of my life, I have never known the workings of the much heartier parts of the country, where snowfall is measured in feet rather than inches and you do not see the ground from November to April. We in the mid-Atlantic are a much more fragile people, and a few inches of snow can wreak havoc on the roadways and cause regional shutdowns of schools, businesses and governments without a second thought. And not to engage in any sort of regional squabbling (although I will anyway), there is a marked difference between how snowfall is dealt with in the Baltimore area as compared to DC. Less than an inch of snow falling in DC is often deemed to be “Snowmageddon,” turning roadways into a Mad Max-style free-for-all and making life miserable for commuters like me. Thankfully, there is now the option of just staying home.

Which brings me to today, where the region is experiencing anywhere from four to ten inches of snow, with more falling in the DC area than near my home. Given the impact of the storm on DC, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has announced an “Office Closure” in Washington, DC. The notice states:

Federal Offices in the Washington, DC area are Closed. Maximum Telework is in effect.

Telework Employees are expected to work. Generally, telework employees may not receive weather and safety leave.

Remote Workers are expected to work. Generally, remote workers may not receive weather and safety leave.

Non-Telework Employees generally will be granted weather and safety leave for the number of hours they were scheduled to work. However, weather and safety leave will not be granted to employees who are on official travel outside of the duty station or on an Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) day off or other non-workday.

Emergency Employees are expected to report to their worksite unless otherwise directed by their agencies.

Employees on Preapproved Leave (paid or unpaid) or other paid time off generally should continue to be charged leave or other paid time off and should not receive weather and safety leave.

Back in my days at the SEC, a notice like this would have meant a full fledged “snow day” for government workers, just like when we were kids in school. In retrospect, I loved snow days as both an adult and a child, because it gave us some time to enjoy the magic of the snow and get an unexpected break from school or work. But alas, as with so many things, technology has robbed us of this simple pleasure, because the reality is that the vast majority of folks in the SEC’s Division of Corporation of Finance are telework employees or remote workers, so they must continue to work today, notwithstanding the white stuff outside. This also means that today is still a “business day” for filing purposes and, as far as we know, EDGAR will remain up and running despite the precipitation.

– Dave Lynn