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North Stafford telework center to remain open, reversing previous U.S. General Services Administration decision Date published: 10/31/2009
BY KELLY HANNON A government-run telework center in North Stafford will remain open, keeping 19 work stations avail-able to public and private employees. The center's status was thought to be in jeopardy. The U.S. General Services Administration operates the center in partnership with the Fredericksburg-based George Washington Regional Commission. Earlier this year, a GSA telework program manager told commission staff that the North Stafford facility would be closed by Oct. 1. The telework center's users were told they had to find a temporary place to work while the commission relocated to a smaller center with lower rent. Bob Wilson, GWRC executive director, even did a walk-through with GSA staff this summer prior to the move. "Then we come to find out [the program manager] never had the authority to do that in the first place," Wilson told commission board members this week. Five telework centers in the Washington area were incorrectly told they would have to close by a GSA manger who did not have the authority to make that decision, Wilson said. Now, the North Stafford center will remain open in its current location at least through the next fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2010, Wilson said. The North Stafford telework center on Onville Road is one of three jointly operated by the GSA and the GWRC. The largest is located in the Southpoint shopping center in Spotsylvania's Massaponax area, with 25 work stations. A third facility with 16 work stations is in Woodbridge. Teleworking increasingly is seen as an environmentally friendly way to reduce highway congestion and maintain work operations at satellite locations in the event of an emergency. Federal agencies are required to allow eligible workers to telework for 20 percent of their work hours in any two-week pay period. In Virginia, Gov. Tim Kaine declared Aug. 3, 2009, Telework Day. Still, commission members fear the GSA may try to close all 14 telework centers in the Washington area, including those in Spotsylvania, Stafford and Woodbridge. "I suspect they are trying to kill it, based on the way it's been run," Wilson said. A call to the GSA public affairs office for comment was not returned.
Also, they don't get to work feeling stressed and wore out from the commute into DC. All departments get charged $50,000 a year for workers to use the Telework Centers, even if they don't use them. If the President wants to reduce greenhouse gases and get us off foreign oil, he needs to make it mandatory that if gov workers can and want to use the centers they can. And they should not have to jump through hoops and plead n' beg just to use the centers one day a week.
Also, they don't get to work feeling stressed and wore out from the commute into DC. All departments get charged $50,000 a year for workers to use the Telework Centers, even if they don't use them. If the President wants to reduce greenhouse gases and get us off foreign oil, he needs to make it mandatory that if gov workers can and want to use the centers they can. And they should not have to jump through hoops and plead n' beg just to use the centers one day a week.
The reason the centers are not used to their full utilization, is because the department heads and managers, in each branch of the federal government will not let their people use the centers. In their minds if they or their higher ups see empty seats they assume that those people are not doing any work. Well they are wrong! The Teleworkers get more done in a day, than the one's that have to drive into DC every day. They are not spending all that time sitting in traffic.
these centers are a waste of money with poor utilization. They are self serving for the people who run them. I challenge the writer to make unannounced sitevisits to observe the utilization and report back.
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