If you're a federal employee who wants to reduce your dependence on vehicles, then Sept. 22 is a great day to start.
Monday will mark the second annual Car-Free Day, an international event that encourages people to get around without their cars and highlights telework as well as mass transit, bicycling, walking and other alternative modes of transportation.
The General Services Administration is making it even easier for federal employees to cast off their cars for Monday's event: the agency is offering a free one-day trial to federal employees to work at one of its 14 telework centers in the Washington metropolitan area. The centers offer on-site technical support, fewer distractions and the benefit of working closer to home.
GSA is touting the free trial as a prime opportunity for federal employees who already telework from home, or are thinking about teleworking in the future, since there's no long-term commitment required.
The agency has six telework centers in Maryland, seven in Virginia, and one in Kearneysville, W.Va. A complete list of the centers can be found on GSA's Web site.
GSA spokesman Jeffrey Woodworth said federal employees interested in using a telework center on Monday should contact their telework coordinator regarding their agency's policy. Information on agency coordinators can be found at www.telework.gov.
Car-Free Day was first celebrated in Washington in 2007 with approximately 1,000 employees committing to the effort. Participants in the Washington area can visit the event's Web site for more information and to make their car-free pledge. Those who make the promise will be registered for a drawing to win an iPod Nano.
Flexible Schedule
Meanwhile, the House majority leader is looking to make car-free days a weekly ritual for many federal employees. And while it may appear that the proposal has been met with some resistance by the Office of Personnel Management, acting Director Michael Hager suggested on Monday that he and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., basically share the same goal of ensuring more flexibility for federal workers.
"I don't know where this thing came a bit unraveled," Hager said. "I don't think we're that far apart."
Hoyer asked OPM last month to examine the feasibility of establishing a four-day, 40-hour workweek for federal employees. This could take about 20 percent of federal employees off the roads on any given weekday, and generate significant savings for U.S. taxpayers without a loss in productivity or a decrease in service.
"I don't want to be drawing lines in the sand as it appears in the [news]," Hager said of the standoff with Hoyer. "We want to be able to service the federal government, service the taxpayer [and] provide programs that federal employees can participate in."
In his first meeting with reporters since assuming the top post at OPM last month, Hager reiterated that government already has a solid set of flexible work options, including telework and compressed schedules, that more than 50 percent of the federal workforce uses. Hager said he sees a considerable decrease in traffic congestion on Fridays, when many federal employees are off due to compressed schedules.
Bill Fox, a Navy employee, said he is grateful for the flexibility of a compressed workweek, as he drives 60 miles a day commuting to his office. "This provides a significant annual savings for me, and reduces my carbon footprint," he said. "The next best thing would be to figure out a way that I could telecommute and work from home at least two days a week."
Last week, Hoyer sent a follow-up letter to Hager asking for agency-by-agency statistics on how many federal employees would be eligible for flexible work arrangements and the number who are currently working under such arrangements. Hager said Monday that OPM had not yet received the letter.
"In the grand scheme of things, we service the taxpayer," Hager said. "Why shouldn't we design work schedules that meet their [the taxpayer] needs but also supply the needs of the federal government?"