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Employee Resources

General Employee Information:
• Axon (Intranet) • Benefits • Directories • Emergency • GOV-Fuel • Government Property •  Health & Safety •  Manuscripts / Projects • Pay & Leave • Policies • Purchasing • Training • Travel / Relocation • SharePoint • Visitors(Citizen/Non-Citizen)  

Miscellaneous Information: 
• Calendars • FAQ's • Images •  Libraries • Property

Standard Operating Procedures for administrative procedures can be found at P:\Admin\SOPs

General Employee Information:

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  • Pay and Leave

Time Sheet| EOP| EPP| Leave Transfer Program | Comp Time

    • Where is my time sheet?
      Employees can now access their timesheets online through NFC's WebTA at https://wta.nfc.usda.gov/usda/. Partial hours are recorded in 15 minute increments. See SOP (PDF; 20 KB, dated July 2013) for more information in PDF format.  

      • Your regular scheduled work hours must be accounted for each day. Time can be recorded using different transaction codes; either 01-regular hours worked, 61-annual leave (vacation), 62-sick leave, 62-62-family sick leave, 29- or 50-credit, 32 or 64-compensatory, 32-78/64-78-travel compensatory or other (66-federal holiday, 71-LWOP). 

      • See the Administrative Officer if you need to change the number of hours you are scheduled to work.

    • Pay and Leave Resources (AFM) - (ARS employees see Axon)
    • Salary Tables - OPM (Scroll to Locality Pay Area: "Rest of United States")
Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) Access - use MS Internet Explorer to access this self-service tool that enables you to electronically view and print your OPF documents, and to update your vital Emergency Data. 
Web address: https://eopf.opm.gov/usda
 

Travel Steps| Travel Card| Contributed or Foreign | Relocation

What do you need to do for travel? (Click highlighted text below for PDF)
 

NPARL Travel Procedures (PDF; 54 KB)  

  • Relocation Reimbursement 

    What do I do if I am expecting a foreign visitor (non-citizen)?

    • Contact the Location Coordinator and Administrative Officer regarding any non-citizen visitor coming into NPARL and/or using federal equipment. Individual situations will be handled on a case-by-case basis and a background check may be required before entering the facilities.

    • Authorized non-citizen visitors must sign in/out with each entry/exit and are allowed on ARS property only between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mon-Fri.

    • Notify the administrative team with any changes or if the visitor cancels the trip.

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Miscellaneous Information

  • Calendars
  • USDA ARS Events Calendar  
      
  • Frequently Asked Questions for New Employees

    • What are the office hours?
      Core office hours are 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, although employees are allowed a flexible schedule with supervisor permission.

    • How many people are employed here?
      There are presently 31 permanent employees at NPARL and numbers increase vary throughout the year according to research projects and budgets.

    •  What to do if I am expecting a visitor (U.S. citizen)?
             All visitors must sign in at the front desk and receive a visitors badge.

    • How often do I get paid?
      Paychecks are issued bi-weekly and you will receive your first pay check 3 weeks after you begin duty.

    • How do I access the Sidney, MT SharePoint site? (use MS Internet Explorer only)
      Go to https://e.arsnet.usda.gov/sites/PA/npa/sidney and sign on using your email ID and password.

    • How do I access the ARS Intranet? Click on Axon, to access you will use either your lincpass or e-auth login.

  • Can I use work computers or other government property for personal use?
    Please read P&P 253.4. More information is at USDA Ethics Training and also see Plains Area Ethics page.

  • What do I do if I need to remove government owned items off location?
    A Property Pass (Form AD-873) must be on file. Please check with the property management officer or administrative officer for further questions .

  • How do I get repair or maintenance done in my office or lab?
    Fill out a work order (PDF; 240 KB) and turn in to the maintenance department.

  • What to do if I am expecting a visitor (U.S. citizen)?
    All visitors must sign in at the front desk and receive a visitors badge.

  • Where can I look for a permanent federal job?