The Telework Issues Working Group finalized its in-depth review of governmentwide telework policies and released a comprehensive report in September 2002. Several recommendations involved clarification of information on the telework.gov Website involving duty station determinations, work hour flexibilities/core work hours, and closure of main office or early dismissal. These issues have all been addressed by OPM. OPM will issue additional regulations and guidance on Federal compensation policies and procedures and the flexibilities currently available to agencies to expand the use of teleworking in the government.
Several recommendations were already implemented prior to completion of the final report. One recommendation was to establish a government telework information website to facilitate awareness, access, and communication of telework-related policy and information. As a result, the joint OPM/GSA site www.telework.gov was launched.
The report recommended that a policy be established whereby all Federal employees are potentially eligible to participate in telework, unless excluded by their agency based on objective criteria. OPM's guidance states, "Agencies should begin with a presumption that all positions are appropriate for telework. This positive analytical approach focuses managers' attention on the nature of the work and job characteristics for determining whether a position is suitable for telework. In many cases, 100 percent of a position will not lend itself to telework. However, the focus on discrete job tasks works to identify those tasks that can be performed away from the main office."