Data Collection
In October 2003, OPM surveyed Federal agencies to determine
the status of telework within the Federal Government. Seventy-four
agencies with more than 1.7 million employees responded
to the 2003 survey. Though 77 agencies responded in 2002
and 74 responded in 2003, the two data sets are comparable
with regard to the Federal population. Four small agencies,
with a total of 18 teleworkers, reported in 2002, but not
2003. Two small agencies, with a total of 18 teleworkers,
reported in 2003, but not 2002. Two larger agencies which
had reported independently in 2003, reported as parts of
parent organizations in 2003. The new Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) reported for the first time in 2003. The
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) reported separately
in 2002, and as part of Commerce in 2003. Thus, changes
from 2002-2003 can be used to evaluate overall progress
of the Federal telework program. However, because 2003 was
a year of transition, with many agencies moving all or part
of their staffs into DHS, taking their teleworkers with
them, caution must be used in evaluating the progress of
specific agencies or comparing agencies with one another.
Telework Policies
Virtually all agencies have telework policies in
place. Only one small agency, the Federal Retirement
Thrift Investment Board, lacked a policy at the time of
the report. OPM will assist that agency in developing a
policy. The new Department of Homeland Security was, at
the time of the report, still crafting its internal departmental
policies, telework included. During the transitional period,
agency components were using the policies they brought with
them from their former organizations.
Each agency develops its own policy to fit its
own mission and culture. Many of the agencies have
developed eligibility criteria (characteristics of the position)
and qualifying criteria (characteristics of the employee)
for their telework programs.
- Eligibility criteria. Thirty-six agencies specify occupations in which telework
can or cannot occur. In addition, some agencies prohibit
certain categories of employees from teleworking, including
executives (12), managers (9), supervisors (9), support
staff (12), temporary employees (16), employees on alternative
work schedules (9), and part-time employees (10).
- Qualifying criteria.
Fifty-two agencies report that they require a minimum
performance rating for teleworkers, 35 exclude employees
with past disciplinary problems, and 25 require a minimum
time in position.
- Health issues. Forty-six
provide for telework by employees with health problems.
- Attendance issues. Forty-six agencies allow telework to be used with alternative
work schedules, and 35 require teleworkers to adhere to
core hours.
Writing a policy is an important first step, but a policy
alone does not provide a viable telework program. As Congressman
Frank R. Wolf stated forcefully in a 2001 letter to OPM,
"What I do not want is for employees
who are interested in a flexible work situation such as
teleworking to have to wade through pages of policy to find
out if they are even eligible for such an arrangement and
then have to work their way through the system to obtain
permission to participate."
Policy Implementation
Agencies were asked about how they implement their policies,
notify eligible employees, track telework programs, and
help employees meet the technical and financial challenges
of setting up home offices.
- Formal notification.
Thirty-four agencies, 46 percent of those reporting, have
a procedure in place for giving employees formal notification
of their eligibility to telework
- Tracking systems. Fifty-four agencies require a telework agreement, 33 track
telework through time and attendance reporting, and 27
track it through a management reporting system.
- Equipment costs. Ten
agencies purchase all equipment for teleworkers, and an
additional 5 agencies reimburse employees for purchased
equipment. Eighteen reported that they share costs with
employees. Twenty-one provide excess or surplus equipment
to teleworkers. Twenty-three reported that employees purchase
all of their own equipment.
- IT support. Fifty-eight
agencies provide telephonic help desk support to teleworkers,
12 offer IT services at the teleworker's alternative work
site, and 34 allow employees to bring equipment into the
office for repair. Only 7 agencies reported offering no
IT support to teleworkers.
Growth in Telework Participation
The number of telework-eligible and teleworking employees
continues to grow. Seventy-four agencies with more than
1.7 million employees responded to the 2003 telework survey.
The agencies reported a total of 751,844 employees (43 percent)
are eligible to telework, compared with 625,313 employees
(35 percent) in 2002 (see Appendix B, Table 1). This represents
a gain of more than 126,531 telework-eligible employees
or a gain of more than 20 percent. The number of eligible
employees teleworking grew from 90,010 in 2002 to 102,921
in 2003, but the percentage of all eligible employees teleworking
remained roughly stable, with more than 14 percent in 2002
and approximately 14 percent teleworking in 2003. Most noteworthy
is that from the first telework survey in April 2001, there
has been an overall increase of 93 percent in the number
of employees teleworking, from 53,389 to 102,921 (Figure
1 below).
Figure 1-
Core and Situational Telework
Core Teleworkers outnumber Situational Teleworkers (see
figure 2 below). Of the total number of the employees who
teleworked during 2003, 61 percent were reported as Core
Teleworkers, and 39 percent were reported as Situational
Teleworkers. Data suggest that situational teleworkers should
not be perceived as infrequent teleworkers. Situational
Teleworkers averaged 3 days a month compared to 6 days a
month for core teleworkers. The high level of participation
by Situational Teleworkers should facilitate their transition
into Core Telework.
Figure 2-
Location of Teleworkers
Most teleworkers are outside the Washington Metropolitan
Area. According to survey data, 69 percent of teleworkers
have their primary place of duty outside the greater Washington,
DC, area; 31 percent are within the area. Though high traffic
makes telework particularly appropriate in the DC area,
it is by no means an "inside the Beltway" program.
Health-Related Telework
Health-related telework continues to show a strong rate
of increase. Telework arrangements support employees who
need a reasonable accommodation for a disability or have
a temporary health problem. In 2002, there were 1,749 employees
who fell into these two categories. In 2003 that number
grew to 3,849 (an increase of more than 120 percent). These
numbers have been increasing rapidly since 2001. (See Figure
3 below)
Figure 3 - Health-Related Telework
Agencies with Less Than 2 Percent
Teleworkers in 2002
House Report 107-575 on the Treasury, Postal Service and
General Government Appropriations Act, 2003, included $500,000
to carry out a "Telecommuting Training Program to educate
executive branch managers about the benefits and logistics
of telecommuting." The conferees directed OPM "to target
executive agencies where less than 2 percent of employees
telecommute." OPM conducted a series of discussions with
these agencies, and held a special forum for them on November
4, 2003. The 2003 survey found some improvement over 2002
data in several of these agencies, however several agencies
reduced the number of eligible employees*. Further gains
are expected as these agencies begin to make use of training
and materials provided by OPM late in 2003.
Chart 1 - Agencies with less than 2 % eligible
employees teleworking in 2002
Agency Name |
2002 Number of Eligible Teleworkers |
2002 Number of Employees Teleworking |
2002 Percent of Eligible Employees
Teleworking |
2003 Number of Eligible Teleworkers |
2003 - Number of Employees Teleworking
|
2003 -Percent of Eligible Employees
Teleworking |
Chemical Safety and
Hazard Investigation Board |
0 |
0 |
0% |
31 |
0 |
0% |
Court Services and Offender
Supervision Agency |
942 |
12 |
1% |
939 |
59 |
6% |
Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board* |
91 |
2 |
2% |
4 |
4 |
100% |
Department of State |
17,450 |
243 |
1% |
11,558 |
170 |
2% |
Department of Veterans
Affairs |
102,967 |
1,377 |
1% |
124,318 |
1,415 |
1% |
Export-Import Bank of
the U.S. |
395 |
1 |
0% |
420 |
1 |
0% |
Federal Election Commission* |
379 |
1 |
0% |
No Report |
|
|
Federal Retirement Thrift
Investment Board |
100 |
0 |
0% |
3 |
0 |
0% |
Federal Trade Commission |
0 |
0 |
0% |
800 |
25 |
3% |
Inter-American Foundation |
48 |
1 |
2% |
49 |
7 |
14% |
International Boundary
and Water Commission |
125 |
0 |
0% |
69 |
1 |
1% |
Office of Administration* |
100 |
1 |
1% |
No Report |
|
|
Office of Federal Housing
Enterprise Oversight** |
115 |
1 |
1% |
No Report |
|
|
Occupational Safety
and Health Review Commission |
38 |
0 |
0 |
55 |
9 |
16% |
Office of National Drug
Control Policy |
113 |
1 |
1% |
109 |
4 |
4% |
Office of Special Counsel |
90 |
1 |
1% |
83 |
14 |
17% |
Peace Corps |
788 |
1 |
0% |
No Report |
|
0% |
Postal Rate Commission |
0 |
0 |
0% |
6 |
6 |
100% |
Small Business Administration |
3,172 |
53 |
2% |
3120 |
268 |
9% |
Trade and Development
Agency* |
46 |
0 |
0% |
0- |
0 |
0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals |
126,959 |
1,695 |
1.3% |
141,564 |
1,983 |
1.4% |
* No Report in 2003
** Included in HUD in 2003
Telework Centers
Telework centers provide unique benefits that working from
home or other locations typically does not provide—freedom
from the possible distractions of home-life, on-site technical
support, additional telephone lines and high-speed and Internet
access, fax machines, printers, copiers, and audio and video
conferencing capabilities. Federal employees who use the
centers report many success stories about how the centers
are helping them improve the quality of their work lives,
provide greater focus for their work assignments and increase
their productivity, in addition to improving the quality
of their personal and family lives, accommodating illnesses
and disabilities, enabling them to defer plans to retire
or resign, and helping them address area-wide and personal
emergencies which might otherwise keep them from working
at all. The centers are also used by private sector customers
and provide many local community resources as well.
In 1999, the conference report accompanying Public Law
105-277, the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 1999, called for 20 specific Federal
agencies to make at least $50,000 available annually to
pay for employees' use of telework centers.
Chart 2 below provides a listing of the 20 agencies named
in the Conference Report, as well as other agencies using
the centers during FY 2002-2003. While overall revenues
increased during FY
2003, usage declined by five percent. Fifteen of the 20
agencies mentioned in the conference report are using the
centers, but eight of these did not spend up to the $50,000
threshold (see Chart 3 below). GSA has a number of plans
to encourage greater telework center usage among agencies
during FY 2004, including offering a 60-day free trial use
period for new users.
Chart 2 - Federal Agency Telework Center
Users
Agency |
FY2003 Users |
FY2002 Users |
Change |
Total Centers Users |
FY2003 Total Fees |
FY2002 Total Fees |
Change |
Agriculture |
49 |
58 |
-9 |
12 |
$98,000 |
$96,252 |
$1,748 |
Commerce |
15 |
6 |
9 |
4 |
$20,318 |
$3,124 |
$17,194 |
Defense |
168 |
187 |
-19 |
15 |
$304,066 |
$256,308 |
$47,758 |
Education |
34 |
28 |
6 |
14 |
$71,139 |
$87,328 |
-$16,189 |
Energy |
6 |
8 |
-2 |
3 |
$7,968 |
$12,368 |
-$4,400 |
EPA |
3 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
$9,916 |
$11,344 |
-$1,428 |
FEMA* |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
$720 |
$416 |
$304 |
GSA |
34 |
41 |
-7 |
11 |
$88,620 |
$97,045 |
-$8,425 |
HHS |
32 |
20 |
12 |
10 |
$63,910 |
$32,384 |
$31,526 |
House of Representatives* |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
$5,763 |
$3,828 |
$1,935 |
HUD |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
$5,544 |
$5,544 |
0 |
Interior |
4 |
5 |
-1 |
3 |
$6,496 |
$20,884 |
-$14,388 |
Justice |
11 |
13 |
-2 |
4 |
$19,520 |
$17,544 |
$1,976 |
Labor |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
NRC* |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
$1,200 |
$150 |
$1,050 |
OGE* |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
$3,912 |
$4,848 |
-$936 |
OPM |
10 |
12 |
-2 |
7 |
$32,678 |
$36,436 |
-$3,758 |
Postal Service |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
SBA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Social Security |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
State |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Transportation |
45 |
56 |
-11 |
12 |
$66,382 |
$70,792 |
-$4,410 |
Treasury |
13 |
13 |
0 |
9 |
$67,152 |
$62,208 |
$4,944 |
Veterans Affairs |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
$16,000 |
$6,800 |
$9,200 |
Grand Total |
435 |
459 |
-24 |
|
$889,304 |
$825,603 |
$63,701 |
* These agencies are not covered by section 630(a) of Public
law 105-277.
Perceived Barriers to Telework
The most frequently reported barrier to telework in the
2003 survey was the nature of the agency work, followed
by office coverage challenges, data security, management
resistance, and funding for equipment and information technology
(IT). Agencies reported having addressed these barriers
in the following ways:
- provided training to employees and managers
on telework (23 agencies);
- initiated marketing of telework through
promotional materials (18 agencies);
- undertook initiatives to gain top management
support of telework (17 agencies);
- established regular reporting mechanisms
for tracking teleworkers (15 agencies); and
- increased their budgets for IT support
(11 agencies).
More detailed information on barriers to telework came
directly from supervisors and managers who participated
in a series of six focus groups in three cities. The focus
groups, led by OPM psychologists not affiliated with the
telework program, were designed to move beyond the vague
concept of "management resistance" and explore the real
obstacles managers might encounter as they sought to implement
telework in their organizations. Commonly expressed concerns
included the productivity and accountability of teleworkers,
the need to address the IT technology requirements for supporting
telework, the cost of supporting such arrangements, and
supervisors' or fellow managers' lack of comfort with telework.
Managers were reluctant to say "no" to a request to telework,
preferring if possible to give an employee a trial period
as an objective test of his or her readiness for telework.