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Return to Article: HUD irks managers with bar on teleworking

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  Skeptical, You limit yourself in the position I proposed. Managers work up as well as down. Managers represent the function they perform to other areas of the organization and they have to be there to do that.

  Also, managers manage by setting examples for their employees as well as others in the organization and outside (customers). As a taxpayer I am outside the organization but I pay for its operation. I expect managers to mange and they have to be present to manage. I know most federal managers do not manage (at least in DoD).

  That is were I was centered and not on face-to-face relationships. However, I do believe that face-to-face relationships between teachers and students and students with students is necessary for a decent education. On-line (telecommuting) education is of far less value than face-to-face classroom exchanges and should not be counted as the same when looking at degrees offered. These programs simply are revenue generators for Universities that can use the money to reduce state subsidies for the campus programs. That really is a whole other area however.

  Taxpayer Posted February 17, 2006 7:58 AM
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  Taxpayer wrote: "You cannot mange long distance but most government managers that I know do not manage! If a manager can telework, the government should not classify that person as a manager and should lower all teleworkers to grade of 11 or below."

  Interesting point and I don't agree. You seem to be saying that you only consider face-to-face direction as managing. If so, then the employee cannot telework either because that makes it impossible for a manager (if one that really managed could ever be found, which your writing seems to imply is equally impossible) to provide the employee supervision.

  Telework should solely depend on the task being performed. If it is critical that people be able to reach you, a beeper or cell phone (with good reception) is necessary. If your task requires frequent direct collaboration with others, you probably shouldn't telecommute. If the occasional conversation is required, it's possible. If connection to a mainframe is needed, possible but probably not the best option, etc.

  Telework shouldn't be allowed for or prohibited to any particular group based on title or grade, just by individual task requirements.

  Skeptical Posted February 15, 2006 8:04 AM
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  "A manager in HUD's Detroit office, who requested anonymity, said the policy restricting supervisors from teleworking is 'ludicrous.' " That manager probably is ludicrous! You cannot mange long distance but most government managers that I know do not manage! If a manager can telework, the government should not classify that person as a manager and should lower all teleworkers to grade of 11 or below. There are some higher grades that involve a lot of research that probably could telework but that should be a relatively small number. In my opinion, if you can telework, you can be replaced by a contractor for much less cost to the government. Watch out for teleworking.

  "As part of the management team, it is difficult to understand the reluctance to provide the same benefits to managers that are made available to bargaining unit staff," the HUD manager said. "This situation has a profound impact on the morale of management employees in HUD."

  It is interesting that the manger considers teleworking a benefit for the bargaining unit. If he deserves the same thing, then doesn't the bargaining unit personnel deserve the same salary as the manager?

  HUD is notorious for waste, fraud and abuse. Now the managers want to telework so they can steal more?

  Taxpayer Posted February 14, 2006 7:03 AM
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  It seems a lifetime ago, but when I was a Special Agent (SA) with Defense Investigative Service (DIS, now Defense Security Service) we had de facto telecommuting. That is, there was only half the number of work spaces for SA assigned. The nature of the job was that about two-thirds to three-quarters of a SA time was spent "on the street," with the remainder spent writing or taping reports, which then went to the word processing group for transcription. Some SA spent their report time in the office, but most would work at home, stopping by the office to drop off draft/taped reports. We had government cars but no motor pool, so most SA took their cars home. Supervisors, on the other hand, spent 100 percent of their time in the office. Yes, they did a lot of report reviewing, a task that could arguably be conducted more efficiently in a more quiet, relaxed atmosphere, such as their home office or the family recreation room.

  Our supervisors knew, however, that their primary function was to be there (literally) for their troops. We had issues to resolve and our time was too valuable to waste trying to track down a supervisor who may be in the lavatory, out in the back yard, or down the street, but in any event, not anywhere near a secretary or other assistant who could track them down. The bottom line is this: if you are a manager/supervisor of people, then you need to be readily and predictably available. There is another issue I hear being raised that also irks me. That is the issue of "benefit." Telecommuting is not, and was never intended to be, a "benefit." At best it is a convenience, both to the employee and the employer. In the case of the federal government, the perceived benefit to society, of reduced traffic congestion, is the perceived employer benefit. The concept that telecommuting is to provide employees, including managers, some form of respite from the stress of the daily office grind, is ridiculous. That's what weekends and annual leave are for. The fact that one may have an arduous commute is just like everything else in life, a matter of the choices we must make. Last words: stop whining, get to work, and earn your pay. We are public servants, not social welfare recipients.

  Mark Pfeiffer Posted February 10, 2006 1:11 PM
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  As a manager, the only time I would consider or want to telework is if I had a special project or was preparing employee appraisals. The opportunity to work telework is not the only benefit that bargaining unit employees have that mangers do not. More importantly and most frustrating is that we are not allowed to work credit hours and if you are a GS-14 manager or above are unable to work a compressed schedule. I find this more frustrating then not having the telework benefit, my director who is a dedicated employee works 9-10 hours a day and is not compensated for the extra hours. This is voluntary; however, he chooses to do so because of his work load. If an employee is in the bargaining unit it doesn't matter what your grade level is you have these opportunities. I truly believe that to retain and recruit good mangers and to maintain morale these issues need to be addressed and seriously considered.

  GovExec.com reader Posted February 10, 2006 10:37 AM
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  My heart bleeds. At the Department of Veterans Affairs it's exactly the opposite - you have to be a GS-14 or above (*management*) to telecommute.

  So quit whining, HUD employees - at least the rank-and-file there is allowed this option.

  John Posted February 10, 2006 9:20 AM