LaRC Deputy Center Director Dave Young requested that the following announcement be shared with LaRC Contractors Steering Council members.
We are pleased to announce that effective Monday, April 4, NASA Langley will move to Stage 1 of the Agency’s Return to On-Site Work Framework with the on-site occupancy limit increasing to 75%.
Each center organization has developed Stage 1 plans and will now have the opportunity to implement them.
Below we provide an overview of some of the major changes in Stage 1.
Center Access
All personnel will have full access to the center; however, we ask that you coordinate with your supervisors. While on center, be sure to badge in buildings and office spaces to assist with contact tracing, if needed.
The Integrated Engineering Services Building (Building 2102) will no longer require badging from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. weekdays.
Monitoring the Environment
The Hampton region meets the criteria to move to stage 1 due to being identified as low risk based on the revised CDC COVID-19 Community Level metrics. We will continue to monitor these levels and share any new or changing protocols quickly and broadly through our usual communication channels, including email and Inside Langley.
Center Preparations
Center operations has been working to prepare buildings and workspaces, including the following:
- Increased HVAC ventilation
- Increased custodial cleaning in occupied buildings and high traffic areas
- Hand disinfectant stations established at entrances to buildings and other key areas
- Purchased and installed approximately 83 touchless water fountain bottle fillers
- Installed approximately 74% of the 5,300 HVAC MERV-13 filters purchased and received which will remove more droplets/particulate from the air
- Installed 75 bipolar ionization units for HVAC air handler units for 15 key high-occupancy buildings which will deactivate the virus and enhance removal of particulates from the air
- LENEL center and building access control system available for contact tracing
Visitors (Non-Permanently Badged)
We are returning to our pre-pandemic processes for visitors. PIV badge holders can request visitor access using LF103.
Foreign Nationals
Badged foreign nationals will be permitted after fully updating and gaining approval for their Security Technology Transfer Control Plan (STTCP). They will also require an escort 100% of the time while on center.
Visiting foreign nationals will require approval from the Office of the Director. Please coordinate any requests through your supervisor or organizational director.
Meetings and Events
Meetings and events are up to the discretion of the organizational director. It is important to ensure events and activities align with the latest COVID safety guidance (e.g., group size, social distancing, mask wearing) and accommodate a hybrid workforce with virtual interfaces.
After-hour events, clubs and other on-site activities are permitted.
Status of Exchange services
Food services are ramping up on center. You’ll find additional details here.
Additionally, the fitness center has resumed operations, and the Langley Child Development Center will reopen soon.
Travel
Domestic and international travel will resume to pre-pandemic processes. Organizations are encouraged to evaluate in-person and hybrid participation in conferences and meetings.
Interns
Thank you for all that you have done to provide opportunities for students over the past few years—your efforts have made it possible for Langley to maintain some of the highest numbers of interns across the agency, illustrating a continued commitment to our future workforce.
We anticipate that most internships will be virtual for the upcoming summer session and that we will move to more face-to-face internships for the fall session and beyond. We expect that remote internships will remain an option when possible, providing access to students who may not be able to travel due to families and community roles.
Existing agreements for virtual internships will remain unchanged – we will not ask a student to be on-site if that is not how the opportunity was advertised – under no circumstances should a student be working on-site without a mentor present. For future on-site internships, students will need to comply with the CDC and Federal COVID guidelines in effect at the time of the internship.
As you plan for the upcoming sessions, there are a few things we would ask you to consider:
- Does the work your intern will do require center access?
- Do you have supervisor approval to bring an intern into the workspace?
- Do you have an approved physical space for the intern to work?
- Taking into account travel and cost of living, is the intern able and willing to work on site?
If the Langley Internships Team can be of assistance as you answer these questions, please reach out to Dr. Garnise Dennis.
Future of Work Mindset
Let’s move forward with an eye toward the future. We look forward to seeing how each organization approaches experimentation and learning what best meets their needs. Additionally, let’s ensure we are having the conversations and acting so that we have a path to putting the appropriate telework and/or remote work agreements in place by the May 15 deadline.
On April 13 we will be holding a Langley Future of Work Supervisor Forum providing an opportunity to discuss what the future will look like at Langley and how we will get there.
Also, please be sure to review the latest resources provided by the agency Future of Work site and navigating work flexibilities on the new Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) site.
Welcome Back!
We are looking forward to seeing many of you on center in the coming months. This is more change, and we recognize that it may pose opportunities and challenges for some. Let’s be there for one another, leverage new tools and best practices to succeed in a hybrid environment and work together to achieve NASA’s amazing mission.
