GovernmentExecutive.com

The House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee on Thursday passed legislation aimed at increasing chances for federal employees to telecommute.

The Telework Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 4106) passed 3-0 on a voice-vote at a sparsely attended hearing. The bill requires that all federal agencies create telework polices and develop programs to train managers and employees to take advantage of teleworking opportunities. It also requires that all agencies appoint telework managing officers to promote telework. The bill gives the General Services Administration responsibility for helping agencies make those changes.

House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee Chairman Danny Davis, D-Ill., added a manager's amendment that lets agencies restrict employee teleworking during emergencies and allows GSA to waive a requirement that telework managers must be senior-level civil servants. The latter change represents a response to concerns raised by subcommittee Republicans who questioned if agencies need to add senior officials to oversee telework rather than relying on chief human capital officers.

The bill aims to strengthen telework requirements established in 2001. Though that law required agencies to create telework polices, Davis and other members said telework remains underutilized by federal agencies. According to a December Office of Personnel Management report, the number of federal employees who telecommute fell from 119,248 in 2005 to 110,592 in 2007, Davis noted.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said the bill is particularly important for federal workers in the District of Columbia due to the need to reduce crowding on subways, traffic and pollution in the region.

COMMENTS

• My office tried telework. Unbeknownst to us back then, management held back work and claimed production dropped so people were hauled back to the office. Mgmt. is not interested in giving us human working conditions - still have to wade through their attitude to work credit hours - and they can't understand why morale and production are low? A program is in place - just no participants - hmmm wonder why? Why don't they ever ask the people directly instead of our mgmt. MickeyB Posted March 23, 2008 5:21 PM
• Institutionalized mistrust is the reason telework systems are difficult to implement, and understandably so. Considering that we, the frequent posters to this blog, have often pointed out that our performance/work often doesn’t easily lend itself to measuring systems as opposition to the performance pay system; we must understand that such situations cause bosses to wonder just what we are doing at home. Consider the public’s opinion: Can anyone imagine Skeeter’s outraged cries if even 15% of the governmental white collar workers worked from home part time? And as much as we dislike the thought, there are quite a few misguided and uninformed individuals like him out there. Until the system has an easy and incontrovertible method of work verification, both the bosses and the public will look with skepticism on this initiative. But remember, if such verification comes to fruition, then perhaps a performance pay system could work… Tip off Posted March 6, 2008 12:04 PM
• At the regional office level, the VA limits telework opportunity to a narrow group. But then requires a production rate from those workers that is about 20 percent higher than the rate required of those working from the office. In fact, the telework production requirement is so high that virtually no one elects to participate in the program because they can't reasonably achieve what is being asked of them. Which seems to be exactly the outcome local VA management wants; the appearance of a telework plan with no actual participants. I don't understand how this country can be taken seriously when it talks about reducing energy consumption and dependence on imported oil when it's own agency leaders are not willing to make a good-faith effort to set an example. DROman Posted March 5, 2008 9:29 PM