NIH Telework Pilot Project
NIH Telework Pilot Project, Executive Summary
National Institutes of Health
Telework Pilot Project
Final Report Summary
This report details the background, processes, and outcomes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Telework Pilot Project, conducted from March 2001 to March 2002. This project, in which employees from four different Institutes and Centers (ICs) worked from home at least two days per month, was intended to provide information and guidance for future successful expansion of telecommuting at NIH.
Working with a consultant funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, an NIH advisory committee formulated policy, processes, training, and evaluation for the pilot project. Fifty-one teleworkers were approved for participation from the four participating Institutes and Centers – NIAID, CSR, NIDCD, and OD. Forty-eight individuals completed the pilot; the other three either retired or changed jobs during the course of the year.
Details of the entire process and the project are given in the report, which also gives in-depth commentary on lessons learned from evaluation and experience.
Evaluation occurred in several steps:
- The COG grant required monthly reporting, which enabled tracking of telework activity on an ongoing basis.
- The consultant conducted focus groups with teleworkers and managers approximately two months after startup, so that early action could be taken to remedy any identified issues.
- Surveys were administered to stakeholder groups – teleworkers were given a pre-survey and a post-survey; managers, co-workers, and customers were given a post-survey.
- Focus groups were conducted at the completion of the pilot project, after the survey analysis, to discuss teleworker and manager experiences and to further explore patterns in the survey data
The experience of the pilot project, as recounted by teleworkers, managers, IC coordinators, and other involved parties, revealed few surprises. The pilot was a success, in that it accomplished its major goals. First, it demonstrated that telework can work in a wide range of NIH organizations - enabling individuals and their workgroups to continue to function with a minimum of disruption while maintaining functionality and productivity. In some cases, in fact, involvement in telework spurred process improvements in workgroups that enhanced their overall productivity. Second, the experiences of the teleworkers and the feedback they provided in surveys supported the idea that telework is a valuable tool for recruiting and retaining valuable employees. Although some managers were initially skeptical and resistant, follow-up evaluation showed them to be generally pleased with the program and willing to continue offering telework to their employees.
The surveys and focus groups also revealed some of the issues and barriers that will complicate the future expansion of telework at NIH. The most notable barriers to implementation were: lack of upper-level management support; the complexity of establishing effective telecommunications, particularly remote connectivity; and a lack of uniformity between ICs, divisions, and even workgroups in the way in which telework is implemented.
The report ends with recommendations for future rollout and broader implementation of telecommuting at NIH. In brief, these are as follows: 1) uniform information technology solutions and support; 2) NIH-wide telework policy, rather than IC-based policy; 3) centralized telework website; 4) delegation of authority to first-line supervisors; and 5) active support by top-level management. These recommendations are made by the pilot project advisory committee, and are based on the evaluation results from the project, as well as lessons learned through the planning and implementation process.
The pilot project provided tools, data, and experience that NIH can now use to build a strong and effective telework program as it seeks to comply with Federal government mandates dictating broader use of this flexibility.
