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An amendment to pending energy legislation that would aggressively push telework options for federal employees could expose a technological generational gap if enacted, but could also provide a valuable incentive to the workforce, participants at a human resources conference said on Sunday.

Most agencies run telework on a voluntary basis, and those programs are typically subject to the discretion of individual managers.

The energy bill amendment, sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., and passed by a voice vote Aug. 4, would accelerate the adoption of the alternative work arrangement by requiring agencies to appoint a telework managing officer, making training mandatory and establishing annual ratings of agencies' telework performance. The bill has not yet been scheduled for a floor debate in the Senate.

"For an older generation, [telework is] kind of like the stepsister; it's kind of not good enough," said Rita Mace Walston, executive director of the Telework Consortium, a nonprofit that consults with both public and private sector organizations. "But the younger generation has grown up with iPods and cell phones, and the idea that you can only do a certain task if you're sitting at a particular desk in a particular place at a particular time, it's like, 'Well, why?' "

The different generational approaches mean that telework is supported unevenly, even within agencies. Multiple conference participants said that the extent to which telecommuting was adopted and supported largely depended on individual managers' comfort with the technology involved and with supervising employees remotely.

"I think managers are going to have to get comfortable with the work," said Ann Firth, a business manager for workforce development with the Marine Corps.

But despite its uneven application, participants agreed that telework -- if used more widely -- can be a valuable tool in addressing many workforce challenges. For example, it can provide a powerful counterbalance to other incentives offered by the private sector.

"If you've got a lawyer who works at the Patent Office for five years, he basically knows all the ins and outs. What value do you think that worker has in the private sector?" asked Kathleen James, manager of the Commerce Department's Learning Center. "You don't want to come into D.C.? Your wife wants to move to Dallas? You can't ever match the salary in the private sector, but it's one way of sweetening the pot."

COMMENTS

• Telework isn't a "perk" it is the way to do business. We expend to much money for square footage space when that major budget cost could be reduced by using telework. I would make it an critical factor in allocations especially after analyze to see how much of a savings could be realized to a particular agency. Wayland H Burton Posted September 24, 2007 9:28 AM
• Don't forget that telework is not just about receiving the "perk" of being able to work at home. It's also about the ability for staff to work at alternate telecenter sites, if needed, and about emergency planning too. At my agency the ability for staff to telework has come in extremely handy. A couple years ago, there was a massive snow storm here and my office was closed for more than a week. Luckily, most folks here had telework agreements already in place and many were able to continue working from home. Another example: the carpet in my building was replaced last year. Because we had already been struggling with a lack of office space before the carpet replacement began, we had to have all of the staff work at an offsite location or at home while the work was being completed. Just like practicing evacuating the building during fire drills, it's important to have a workforce that has practiced and is familiar with working at alternate locations, should an emergency facilitate the need. jm Posted September 21, 2007 12:06 PM
• My (City, not federal) agency would never adopt telework because of the culture that thinks the only way to manage employees is to watch what they do when they do it. They are more interested in your work hours than what you do during those hours (if anything!)Telework would take away this control, which is one of their favorites. Teresa P Bland Posted September 21, 2007 10:22 AM