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Telecommuting push has new angle

November 25, 2007 12:36 am

TELECOMMUTING is a topic that has been around the federal workplace almost as long as I have.

In the early years, most people agreed it was a good idea, but they knew down deep in their hearts it would never get very far.

Managers worried that if they couldn't see people working at their desks then certainly they must be goofing off. Additionally, if people aren't at the office, somebody else would have to do their work while they were gone.

In many offices, these can be valid concerns. However, that is part of the process of determining which jobs are right for telecommuting.

Over the years, as technology has progressed, managers have learned that tracking employees' work can be easier than just watching to make sure they get back from lunch on time.

Each year, the good idea that nobody really believed in has hung in there. The Office of Personnel Management has been pushing telecommuting for several years now. And Congress is also getting into the act.

Recently, both the Senate and the House have introduced bills that encourage federal agencies to allow eligible employees to telecommute four days a month on the average.

Nevertheless, telecommuting numbers don't look good overall. The latest figures show a slight decrease in the number of telecommuters in 2006 as opposed to 2005. This is attributed to a change in how the numbers are gathered and concerns about data security. Between 6 percent to 7 percent of the federal work force can be considered regular telecommuters.

Congress, OPM and telecommuter wannabees are hoping to expand those numbers dramatically. A task force is looking at how to do that.

A report, "Telework: Breaking New Ground" was issued by OPM on Nov. 6. I won't go into all the details here. If you want to read it in full, you can find it on OPM's Web site.

What I would like to talk about is a new angle on telecommuting that agencies have not thought much about until recently. That is Continuity of Operation planning. In today's environment of higher security and better emergency planning, it makes sense that managers would focus on telecommuting as a tool for maintaining operations under crisis conditions.

Agencies are realizing that it is to their advantage to have employees who can work at an alterative location should it become necessary to move their operation centers.

OPM continues to work with agencies that have taken the lead in this area to develop models and share information.

If you have any questions about telecommuting, go to telework.gov and check out the resources available to you and your agency.