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With mounting gas costs, telework programs should expand

Teleworking slow to catch on, despite push to expand the program

Date published: 5/6/2008

IN TIMES WHEN commuting expenses are hitting all-time highs, one looks for ways to cut costs and increase efficiencies.

I've talked previously about making sure your method of commuting fits your needs. Now I'd like to talk a little more about expanding the opportunities to have your job come to you.

I'm speaking of teleworking, the system where employees work from home or at an established telework center for one or more days a month.

This has been a hot topic in the federal work force for the last few years. The president has mandated that agencies designate a certain percentage of positions as eligible for teleworking, yet there has been no dramatic increase in the overall number of employees participating in the program.

The Office of Personnel Management has made a significant effort to promote the program, offering assistance to agencies interested in starting programs and working with them throughout the process.

I had the opportunity to look at the results of the 2007 Report to Congress on Teleworking. It covered data gathered during calendar year 2006 and compared the results from 2005.

I won't go into all the numbers, but it might interest you to know that there were a total of 110,592 teleworkers in the federal work force in 2006. That is roughly 6 percent and covers all employees who teleworked at least one day per month during 2006.

A look at the raw numbers from 2005 and 2006 shows that the number of teleworkers was higher in 2005, but that is due to a difference in the way teleworkers were counted.

At least two factors are adding to the interest in teleworking over the last year--the need for teleworking employees during emergency situations, and the role teleworking can play in attracting and retaining federal employees.

Managers are realizing that it will be essential in emergencies to have employees capable of performing their jobs from locations other than their office.

Teleworking is seen as a major benefit to offer potential employees. However, as we know from past experience, the true number of jobs where teleworking is a really good fit is very limited. Therefore, I don't see this being used as a way to seriously attract new employees for quite some time.

Overall, the telework program is well supported and it works for those who can do their jobs away from the work site.

But, to make the program more successful, more managers will have to be comfortable with allowing employees to work at a place where they can't see them.

It may take awhile and gas prices may hit $5 or $6 a gallon before we see significant progress, but hopefully teleworking will continue moving in the right direction.

Michael Kole of Spotsylvania County commutes to Alexandria. Write him c/o Commuter Crossroads, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401; e-mail
Email: newsroom@freelancestar.com.

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Date published: 5/6/2008

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