NASA opens doors to more on-site work, but teleworking here to stay

.

A worker cleans the floors at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center during a partial federal government shutdown in 2019. Located at the base of a mountain in the lush Tennessee Valley, Huntsville was just another Alabama city until the government decided to build rockets at Redstone Arsenal at the dawn of the space race. (AP Photo/David Goldman)AP

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville is moving one more step toward workplace normalcy post-pandemic for its nearly 6,000 government and contractor employees. But it looks like many of those workers will still be “encouraged” to telework indefinitely.

The center said today it will move June 14 from Stage 3 to Stage 2 in the space agency’s framework for returning to on-site work as the COVID threat eases and vaccinations increase.

“We made this decision with careful consideration and consultation with agency leadership and other appropriate officials,” Marshall Director Jody Singer said in a statement. “We have consulted with our Team Redstone partners and health officials in order to ensure our decision aligns with their next steps, too. Other NASA centers have and are considering this positive move, and we have been encouraged to make this move only when the time is right. We are ready.

“I have said many times that your health and safety are at the forefront of each decision we make,” Singer told her team. “I am committed to protecting your wellbeing and that of your families. Thank you for your understanding, dedication to the mission, and agility as we move forward, together.”

In Stage 2, employees who must be on-site to do their work can return with supervisor/center approval. That presumably would include people working in the center’s laboratories and test facilities. “All other employees will continue to telework,” the center said.

Other NASA facilities and functions relaxing restrictions include fitness centers and meetings with proper precautions. “Non-essential travel” is permitted “with the exception that travel to an area that has not progressed in its gates or experiences a rebound of cases should not be approved.”

The final stage in the return-to-work countdown – Stage 1 or full access – is still ahead. But even then, NASA said, “Telework is encouraged for employees who can accomplish their work remotely, with supervisor approval.”

Like many places, NASA has found a significant percentage of its workers likes teleworking and the agency’s missions have progressed during the pandemic. Even in Stage 1 - the new normal - the center will continue to hold virtual meetings and reduce in-person meetings and large gatherings.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.