Teleworking: What Are Your Odds?

Could the people in your office be trusted to get the job done if they were allowed to work from home? Would stepped up teleworking boost productivity and reduc...

Teleworking is something like the weather: Everybody talks about it but nobody does anything about it.

But that could change, slightly, today when the House is scheduled to take up, vote on and approve, a bill that would improve teleworking opportunities in government. Hence the name The Teleworking Improvements Act.

The bill would signal reluctant managers (for the umpteenth time) to get with the teleworking program. It would also setup a telework czar, a Telework Managing Officer. And the proposed new law would further integrate current and future teleworking program with COOP programs to help agencies keep-on keeping on in event of a natural or man-made disaster.

Congress has been pushing federal agencies, for years, to expand teleworking programs. Yet an OPM survey released this week said that while 64 of every 100 feds said they could and would like to work from home, only about 10 percent do it on a regular (at least on day per week) basis.

When the programs were first launched there were numerous concerns:

  • Who would pay for dedicated lines and computer equipment (you or Uncle?).
  • Should employee home offices be subject to surprise visits and searches by managers?
  • What about liability of an employee working for home was injured on the job?
  • Could most people, given the chance to work from home, be trusted not to spend the day watching TV, doing laundry or watching kids?
  • Could managers be convinced to try a results-based program where accomplishments—time time spent in the office or on a computer—were the measure of a successful employee?

Teleworking lends itself to more jobs, and certain agencies, than others. The Patent and Trademark Office is often cited as a place where teleworking is widespread, and works. The Internal Revenue Service also uses it. But still has a long way to go before it becomes the norm in many offices.

Today at 10 a.m. on our Your Turn, Jessica Klement of the Federal Managers Association will talk about teleworking, the status of Defense’s rollback of the National Security Personnel System and the outlook for feds this year.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com


Nearly Useless Factoid
by Suzanne Kubota

In 1974 George Steinbrenner was in some legal trouble due to his shadowy connection with Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign, reports MentalFloss. After pleading guilty to making illegal campaign contributions and obstructing justice, “the Boss” received a presidential pardon from Ronald Reagan.


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