OPM recently released a to the Federal Holidays and Human Resources Flexibilities for Employees Located in the Washington, DC, Area during the Week of Inauguration memorandum to the Chief Human Capital Officer Council (CHCO).

In January 2017, most Federal employees in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area will have two holidays during the week of Inauguration: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Monday, January 16), and Inauguration Day (Friday, January 20). In addition, Federal employees who work in the downtown Washington, DC, area and its vicinity should expect significant commuting delays and travel disruptions on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19 due to extensive road closures, mass transit changes, motorcades, and the establishment of security perimeters.

This memorandum provides guidance on how to administer the two Federal holidays and encourages agencies to allow employees to use human resources (HR) flexibilities to assist in alleviating traffic delays and congestion that may occur during the week's preparation for the January 20, 2017, inauguration events.