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TOPICS
Survey: Telework could save employees thousands
Thousands of federal employees who have registered at a telework-related Web site spend an average of 233 hours a year commuting, at a cost of $10,580, according to a report published Monday.
The "Federal Telework: No Free Ride" study was conducted by the Telework Exchange, an Alexandria, Va.-based organization and is based on information provided by 3,500 federal employees who registered at a Web site run by the group.
While nearly every agency has a telework plan, only 66 percent of those registering on the site said their agency had one and only 34 percent said they had access to the plan. Nine percent of the registrants could name their agency's telework coordinator.
The Telework Exchange's Web site is available to people with e-mail addresses ending in .mil, .gov, .edu, or .us. Registrants provided current data on commuting habits, including information on the type of vehicle they drove and the distance of their commute.
Of the 3,500 registrants included in the study, 58 percent said they were interested in teleworking, 20 percent already were teleworking and 5 percent were telework managers.
The employees who registered at the site and stated that they worked away from the office at least one day a week had saved $5.9 million in commuting costs, according to the report. The Telework Exchange projected that if an employee worked away from the office three times a week, he or she would save an average of $4,372 each year and would recoup about 98 hours that would have been spent driving.
"The findings of the 'No Free Ride' study clearly indicate the need for improved access to telework programs and continued telework education in the federal government," said Stephen O'Keeffe, executive director of the Telework Exchange.
On Wednesday, the Office of Personnel Management is scheduled to testify on the importance of telework before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization. Reps. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and James Moran, D-Va., also are scheduled to testify on what can be done to encourage federal workers and agencies to use mass transit, telework or stagger work hours to cut down on energy costs.
COMMENTS
- This all assumes that the managers know what the employee jobs are! In the military, with military managers, the managers do not know what the job of the employee is or how to measure it! If you do not know the output and you do not know what work the civilian is hired to perform, you cannot allow flex-time or telework because the first assumption is that no employee will do any work. My managers have communicated with me from 10 feet away using e-mail! Then they say that we have to be in the office so they can talk with us regularly. What they talk about is the good time they had over the weekend, who is going to what party and we have to go to promotion parties and balls and we cannot do that when teleworking! Congress (Frank) has to get real. Our most important function is to attend promotion parties, retirement parties, change of command parties, the Generals award meetings that are useless and be available if anyone at anytime should ask a question we might have to answer. However, all of this is communicated to us via e-mail! taxpayer Posted November 21, 2005 7:09 AM
- The federal government has been promoting telework in one form or another for many years now. Thousands of federal employees would jump at the chance to work at home a couple days a week. But, management resists allowing it. It's not that employees can't do the work at home. In many cases, they can stay at home and do nothing for a couple of days and still get their workload completed. Managers fear that if the work gets done at home, someone might question whether the management is pulling its weight. It's been one of those unspoken secrets that some managers and even entire offices accomplish little in a day. But, they pad their work to make it look as though they are productive. With base consolidations, the problem is worse than ever because of redundant personnel and less work to do. Does the Congress have any clue as to how the federal government actually works? Robert M. Posted November 21, 2005 8:34 PM
- I've proven to my boss that I am more productive away from my cramped, three person office; it wasn't easy getting this far, however. Telework is discouraged in this agency, regardless of any official issuances. I was first told it was not allowed, but my research uncovered the public law mandating eligible employees be allowed the opportunity. My initial, formal request was "lost" for three months, and then held for another six weeks before final approval for one day/week. It's been nine months, and I now work at home two days, mornings in the office two (all 10 hour days) and am pleased that my boss, and perhaps others in the agency, realize that telecommuting is not only viable, but encourages productivity - though I wouldn't bet this agency will revise its negative attitude anytime soon. GovExec.com reader Posted November 16, 2005 9:13 PM
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