The nation’s top doctor urged federal bosses to better promote workplace social connections to counter the feelings of isolation that telework may induce.
A new bill from Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would cap all telework at 40% of an employee’s work hours, potentially endangering the federal government’s nascent remote work program.
House Republicans continued to demand better data from the Biden administration regarding the prevalence and effectiveness of telework at federal agencies.
The move to allow federal employees to telework while overseas with their service member spouses is part of a larger effort to boost recruitment of military spouses.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, continued her criticism of federal agencies’ use of telework, calling for the Small Business Administration’s inspector general to investigate its office utilization rates after its administrator disputed the GAO’s findings.
The latest bipartisan bill aimed at better measuring the workplace flexibility’s effectiveness would require agencies to publish their telework policies, as well as implement already planned improvements to data collection on its usage.
COMMENTARY | To retain and attract top talent, government and public-sector employers must take the lead in adopting and adapting to flexible work arrangements.
COMMENTARY | “There is a path forward and relevant, recent examples exist,” writes one former federal real estate official who urges the Biden administration to embrace the hybrid work model.
The new commissioner outlined a plan to create “core collaboration days” for members of management, while most frontline workers are seemingly spared from the cuts.
After Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., accused the Interior Department of “abusing” telework, department leaders revealed that more than half of their workforce works in person every day, and those who do telework have experienced increased productivity, retention and employee engagement.
The annual telework report covers fiscal 2022, though officials promised that recent policy changes will improve data collection and analysis moving forward.
Telework, leave policies and “compassionate transfers” between agencies should all be utilized to recruit and retain spouses of members of the military and reserve services, officials said.
FEC officials had argued that employees need more “water cooler discussions,” despite the agency’s own assessment of a pilot program finding that increased telework improved agency operations.
As agencies prep to increase in-person work this fall, the federal government’s HR agency is calling on officials to collect better data on telework and remote work usage in their workplaces.
Interim regulations will allow federal agencies to hire the spouses of military service members outside of the traditional competitive hiring process through 2028.
As federal employees continued use of telework remains contentious, the watchdog highlighted in a new report that age-old office space problems have become more pronounced.