The Status of Telework in the Federal Government 2005

Introduction

Background

Section 359 of Public Law 106-346 (FY 2001 Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act) states, "Each executive agency shall establish a policy under which eligible employees of the agency may participate in telecommuting to the maximum extent possible without diminishing employee performance." The law defines telecommuting as "any arrangement in which an employee regularly performs officially assigned duties at home or other work sites geographically convenient to the residence of the employee," and eligible employee as, " ... any satisfactorily performing employee of the agency whose job may typically be performed at least one day per week at an alternative workplace" (see Appendix A).

OPM and GSA are partners in the effort to advance telework across all agencies in the Federal Government. Since 2001, OPM has conducted an annual survey to assess the progress of Federal agencies to implement telework in their organizations. This report summarizes the findings from the 2004 telework survey and highlights the efforts and activities spearheaded by OPM and GSA in 2004 to champion the telework initiative.

Data Collection and Results

In December 2004, the Telework Survey was sent to 86 agencies in an effort to gather data to determine the current status of the Federal telework initiative. An email with a link to the survey was sent directly to the telework coordinator identified for each agency. Completed surveys were submitted electronically to a password-protected online database, which restricted the number of submissions to one per agency.

Eighty-two agencies responded to the survey, representing a 95 percent response rate, a 9.5 percent increase from the previous year. Ten agencies reported results to OPM for the first time in 2004. It is important to note that some of the agencies initially surveyed in prior years as stand-alone entities have since been realigned. For example, a few years ago, the Department of Homeland Security did not exist and it currently encompasses nine major components with over 22 subcomponents.

Telework Policies

The majority of agencies (85%) had telework policies in place, and 12 agencies did not. Although agency telework policies often share some common characteristics, each agency is responsible for developing policy to fit its mission and culture. At the time of the survey, each had its own eligibility criteria (characteristics of the position) and qualifying criteria (characteristics of the employee) for their telework programs:

• Eligibility Criteria
  Forty-three agencies (52%) specified occupations that are eligible for telework. Agencies were asked which categories of employees were excluded from teleworking. Of the 43 agencies that reported, 17 agencies (40%) stated support staff, 16 (37%) stated temporary employees, and 13 (30%) stated executives as being excluded from being eligible to telework.

• Qualifying Criteria
  Fifty-four agencies (66%) reported requiring a minimum performance rating for teleworkers, 43 agencies (52%) excluded employees with past disciplinary problems from being eligible, and 26 agencies (32%) required employees to have been in their positions for a minimum amount of time.

• Health Issues
  Fifty-two agencies (63%) allowed employees with health problems to use telework as a means for working while dealing with personal health matters.

• Work Schedules
  Fifty-three agencies (65%) utilized telework in conjunction with alternative work schedules and 45 agencies (55%) required teleworkers to adhere to agency-established core hours.

Agency Information

Agencies were asked to report on the mechanisms used to track the prevalence of telework and the equipment provided to teleworkers. Additionally, they were asked to report on the level of information technology (IT) support provided to those employees teleworking.

• Tracking Systems
  Fifty-seven agencies (70%) reported using the telework agreement as the tracking mechanism, 35 agencies (43%) used their current time and attendance system, and 33 (40%) had electronic tracking systems in place. Three (4%) of agencies did not track telework (see Chart 1).

• Equipment
  Twenty (24%) agencies purchased equipment for their teleworkers, and at 35 agencies (43%) employees are expected to purchase their own equipment. Thirty-one agencies (38%) reported providing teleworkers with surplus or excess equipment. Of the agencies reporting, 25 (30%) stated they share the costs, while only 5 agencies (6%) reimbursed teleworkers (see Chart 2).

• IT Support
  Sixty-one agencies (74%) provided help desk support telephonically. Thirty-six agencies (44%) allowed teleworkers to bring their equipment to the office to be repaired and 3 agencies (4%) provided in-home help desk services. Only 2 agencies (2%) provided no support.

d

d

Modification of Survey Instrument

In 2004, the survey instrument was modified to capture additional information regarding the eligibility of employees (see Appendix B). In previous years, survey results failed to provide OPM with the information needed to determine if employees met agency eligibility criteria. The following question was added to more clearly determine the relationship between those eligible to telework and those who actually teleworked:

Based on the definition of qualifying criteria (employee-related) given above, how many employees in your agency are eligible for telework?

1. Core Telework ___________________
2. Situational Telework ___________________
3. Not Eligible ___________________

A second new question was added to collect data on agencies' progress in integrating telework and COOP. As described in the section, OPM and GSA Efforts to Promote Telework in 2004, OPM and GSA started making agency visits in 2004 to reinforce the connection between telework and COOP. The additional question read:

What are the ways in which your agency has incorporated telework into its emergency preparedness plans?

1. Telework has been incorporated in our agency as well as in our Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Yes_______No______
2. Telework is currently under consideration for inclusion in our agency emergency preparedness plans. Yes_______No______
3. We have provided employees with equipment they need to continue operations during emergencies and closures. Yes_______No______
4. Conditions for telework during times of emergencies or agency closures are included in all telework agreements. Yes_______No______
5. Teleworking during emergencies is covered in our internal management/supervisory training classes. Yes_______No______
6. Other Yes_______No______
7. Not Applicable Yes_______No______

At the time of the survey, telework was incorporated into the COOP plans of 35 (43%) of those agencies responding. Additionally, 38 agencies (46%) considered incorporating COOP into their emergency preparedness plans. Of those agencies that had integrated telework into their COOP planning, 27 agencies (33%) provided equipment, 17 agencies (21%) included COOP planning as a component of their telework agreements, and 16 agencies (20%) provided related training (see Charts 3 and 4).

d

d

Growth of Federal Telework

Overall, telework continues to grow in the Federal Government. From 2003 to 2004, there was a 37% increase in the number of teleworkers (102,921 to 140,694). The number of employees teleworking as a percentage of those eligible to telework increased from 14% in 2003 to 19% in 2004 (see Chart 5). Approximately 41% of Federal employees were eligible to telework during 2004 (see Table 1).

Thirty-eight agencies, 46 percent, reported that more than 25 percent of their workforce participated in telework during 2004 (see Table 2).

d

Table 1: % of Eligible Employees Teleworking

Department/Agency	# of Employees 2004	# of Eligible Employees 2004	Total Number of Employees Teleworking	2004 % of Eligible Employees Teleworking	2003 % of Eligible Employees Teleworking	Change from 2003
Access Board	27	24	19	79.2%	-	New
Agency for International Development	2,256	1,016	299	29.4%	14.7%	Increase
Appraisal Subcommittee	-		-	-	50.0%	no response in 2004
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board	-		-	-	72.0%	no response in 2004
Armed Forces Retirement Home	503	503	10	2.0%	0.0%	Increase
Board of Governors, Federal Reserve	1,600	49	49	100.0%	-	New
Broadcasting Board of Governors	1,809	589	60	10.2%	-	New
Central Intelligence Agency	-	34	-	-	-	no response in 2004
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board	36	34	8	23.5%	0.0%	Increase
Commission on Civil Rights	65	57	0	0%	-	New
Committee for Purchase from the Blind and Severely Disabled	29	21	4	19.0%	28.6%	Decrease
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	500	500	50	10.0%	9.4%	Increase
Consumer Product Safety Commission	452	411	209	50.9%	49.5%	Increase
Corporation for National and Community Service	601	464	54	11.6%	-	New
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency	1,077	1,016	205	20.2%	6.3%	Increase
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	95	3	3	100.0%	100.0%	No Change
Department of Agriculture	94,454	71,034	4,066	5.7%	4.6%	Increase
Department of Commerce	36,944	24,779	9,627	38.9%	38.7%	Increase
Department of Defense	662,519	183,844	21,318	11.6%	9.3%	Increase
Department of Education	4,929	3,859	1,576	40.8%	50.8%	Decrease
Department of Energy	14,004	12,468	1,246	10.0%	100.0%	Decrease
Department of Health and Human Services	63,429	59,654	11,331	19.0%	18.3%	Increase
Department of Homeland Security	158,606	38,573	1,938	5.0%	1.5%	Increase
Department of Housing and Urban Development	9,842	7,168	1,088	15.2%	88.9%	Decrease
Department of Interior	70,477	31,548	3,580	11.3%	3.3%	Increase
Department of Justice	102,882	46,127	18,604	40.3%	4.4%	Increase
Department of Labor	15,649	15,649	7,845	50.1%	38.2%	Increase
Department of State	18,751	1,240	1,019	82.2%	1.5%	Increase
Department of Transportation	57,404	26,445	3,553	13.4%	10.0%	Increase
Department of Treasury	105,981	100,439	29,362	29.2%	70.2%	Decrease
Department of Veterans Affairs	230,472	40,704	1,716	4.2%	1.1%	Increase
Environmental Protection Agency	17,697	12,894	3,585	27.8%	28.7%	Decrease
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	2,461	1,692	727	43.0%	39.8%	Increase
Executive Office of the President (Office of Science and Technology Policy)	40	1	1	100.0%	-	New
Export-Import Bank	400	400	0	0%	0.2%	Decrease
Farm Credit Administration	287	287	128	44.6%	38.2%	Increase
Federal Communications Commission	1,969	1,969	634	32.2%	29.8%	Increase
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	5,092	5,092	2,195	43.1%	9.8%	Increase
Federal Elections Commission	384	10	10	100.0%	-	New
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	1,253	1,183	336	28.4%	26.8%	Increase
Federal Housing Finance Board	118	105	0	0%	37.8%	Decrease
Federal Labor Relations Authority	184	97	14	14.4%	0.0%	Increase
Federal Maritime Commission	128	128	10	7.8%	8.0%	Decrease
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	274	238	120	50.4%	46.5%	Increase
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board	90	0	0	0%	0.0%	No Change
Federal Trade Commission	1,082	815	31	3.8%	3.1%	Increase
General Services Administration	12,690	11,219	2,874	25.6%	24.5%	Increase
Government Accountability Office	-		-	-	-	no response in 2004
Inter-American Foundation	47	47	13	27.7%	14.3%	Increase
International Boundary and Water Commission	243	60	0	0%	1.4%	Decrease
International Trade Commission	371	371	45	12.1%	10.4%	Increase
Japan US Friendship Commission	4	3	3	100.0%	100.0%	No Change
Marine Mammal Commission	11	10	5	50.0%	-	New
Merit Systems Protection Board	225	176	44	25.0%	27.0%	Decrease
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	19,583	17,058	1,186	7.0%	5.8%	Increase
National Archives and Records Administration	3,062	1,767	170	9.6%	5.3%	Increase
National Capital Planning Commission	48	48	3	6.3%	-	New
National Council on Disability	12	12	7	58.3%	72.7%	Decrease
National Credit Union Administration	926	407	80	19.7%	25.6%	Decrease
National Endowment for the Arts	164	164	44	26.8%	33.3%	Decrease
National Endowment for the Humanities	170	170	67	39.4%	32.4%	Increase
National Labor Relations Board	1,913	1,319	447	33.9%	33.9%	No change
National Mediation Board	52	52	16	30.8%	28.8%	Increase
National Science Foundation	1,364	1,296	276	21.3%	17.9%	Increase
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	3,169	3,138	789	25.1%	29.2%	Decrease
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission	59	52	6	11.5%	16.4%	Decrease
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight	195	181	181	100.0%	-	New
Office of Government Ethics	78	77	6	7.8%	7.8%	No Change
Office of National Drug Control Policy	109	0	0	0%	3.7%	Decrease
Office of Personnel Management	3,594	2,803	1,910	68.1%	53.2%	Increase
Office of Special Counsel	105	87	15	17.2%	16.9%	Increase
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	198	135	61	45.2%	25.7%	Increase
Peace Corps	825	825	15	1.8%	0.0%	Increase
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	786	516	192	37.2%	100.0%	Decrease
Postal Rate Commission	47	0	0	0%	100.0%	Decrease
Railroad Retirement Board	1,023	343	100	29.2%	37.5%	Decrease
Securities and Exchange Commission	3,883	3,883	648	16.7%	9.5%	Increase
Selective Service System	153	115	4	3.5%	0.0%	Increase
Small Business Administration	3,390	3,323	328	9.9%	8.6%	Increase
Smithsonian Institution	-		-	-	-	no response in 2004
Social Security Administration	64,579	10,628	4,441	41.8%	29.9%	Increase
Tennessee Valley Authority	12,790	0	0	0%	0.0%	No Change
Trade and Development Agency	41	40	0	0%	0.0%	No Change
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum	400	300	73	24.3%	18.3%	Increase
U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board	16	16	15	93.8%	100.0%	Decrease
U.S. Trade Representative	-		-	-	-	no response in 2004
Totals	1,818,397	752,337	140,694	18.65%	13.70%

Table 2: 2004 Survey Agencies with Over 25% Utilization Rate

Department/Agency	# Number of Employees 2004	Total Number of Eligible Employees 2004	Total Number of Employees Teleworking 2004	% of Eligible Employees Teleworking 2004
Board of Governors, Federal Reserve	1,600	49	49	100.0%
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	95	3	3	100.0%
Executive Office of the President (Office of Science and Technology Policy)	40	1	1	100.0%
Federal Elections Commission	384	10	10	100.0%
Japan US Friendship Commission	4	3	3	100.0%
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight	195	181	181	100.0%
U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board	16	16	15	93.8%
Department of State	18,751	1,240	1,019	82.2%
Access Board	27	24	19	79.2%
Office of Personnel Management	3,594	2,803	1,910	68.1%
National Council on Disability	12	12	7	58.3%
Consumer Product Safety Commission	452	411	209	50.9%
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	274	238	120	50.4%
Department of Labor	15,649	15,649	7,845	50.1%
Marine Mammal Commission	11	10	5	50.0%
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	198	135	61	45.2%
Farm Credit Administration	287	287	128	44.6%
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	5,092	5,092	2,195	43.1%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	2,461	1,692	727	43.0%
Social Security Administration	64,579	10,628	4,441	41.8%
Department of Education	4,929	3,859	1,576	40.8%
Department of Justice	102,882	46,127	18,604	40.3%
National Endowment for the Humanities	170	170	67	39.4%
Department of Commerce	36,944	24,779	9,627	38.9%
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	786	516	192	37.2%
National Labor Relations Board	1,913	1,319	447	33.9%
Federal Communications Commission	1,969	1,969	634	32.2%
National Mediation Board	52	52	16	30.8%
Agency for International Development	2,256	1,016	299	29.4%
Department of Treasury	105,981	100,439	29,362	29.2%
Railroad Retirement Board	1,023	343	100	29.2%
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	1,253	1,183	336	28.4%
Environmental Protection Agency	17,697	12,894	3,585	27.8%
Inter-American Foundation	47	47	13	27.7%
National Endowment for the Arts	164	164	44	26.8%
General Services Administration	12,690	11,219	2,874	25.6%
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	3,169	3,138	789	25.1%
Merit Systems Protection Board	225	176	44	25.0%

Core and Situational Telework

Fifty percent (50%) of those reported as having teleworked in the Federal workforce were reported as core teleworkers. Core is defined as "Telework that occurs on a routine, regular, and recurring basis away from an employee's principal place of duty (e.g., at home, at a telework center, at an alternate location) one or more days per week." Almost fifty percent (49.6%) teleworked on a situational basis, defined as all non-core telework (see Chart 6). In 2004, the number of core teleworkers decreased, while the number of situational teleworkers increased. The average number of days per month that employees teleworked on a core and situational basis were 6 and 3, respectively. This remains identical to data collected in the 2003 survey.

d

Health-Related Telework

One of the ways in which situational telework best serves agencies is in conjunction with cases of reasonable accommodation for health-related matters, such as a qualified disability, temporary disability, or temporary medical issue. In 2004, 3,300 employees were identified as using telework to deal with health-related issues. In 2003, there were 3,849 employees utilizing telework for these same reasons (see Table 3).

Table 3: 2004 Survey- Reasonable Accommodation Telework

Department/Agency	Number of Eligible Employees	Total Number of Teleworkers	# of Employees Using Telework for a Disability	# of Employees Using Telework for Temporary Medical Reasons
Access Board	24	19	1	3
Agency for International Development	1,016	299	0	39
Appraisal Subcommittee*	-	-	-	-
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board*	-	-	-	-
Armed Forces Retirement Home	503	10	0	2
Board of Governors, Federal Reserve	49	49	2	2
Broadcasting Board of Governors	589	60	0	0
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board	34	8	0	0
Commission on Civil Rights	57	0	0	0
Committee for Purchase from the Blind and Severely Disabled	21	4	0	0
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	500	50	1	4
Consumer Product Safety Commission	411	209	0	3
Corporation for National and Community Service	464	54	0	7
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency	1,016	205	1	7
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	3	3	0	3
Department of Agriculture	71,034	4,066	36	252
Department of Commerce	24,779	9,627	9	104
Department of Defense	183,844	21,318	147	649
Department of Education	3,859	1,576	20	99
Department of Energy	12,468	1,246	17	121
Department of Health and Human Services	59,654	11,331	72	275
Department of Homeland Security	38,573	1,938	7	59
Department of Housing and Urban Development	7,168	1,088	10	3
Department of Interior	31,548	3,580	20	192
Department of Justice	46,127	18,604	31	159
Department of Labor	15,649	7,845	13	26
Department of State	1,240	1,019	3	3
Department of Transportation	26,445	3,553	13	92
Department of Treasury	100,439	29,362	198	704
Department of Veterans Affairs*	40,704	1,716	-	-
Environmental Protection Agency	12,894	3,585	16	70
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	1,692	727	13	26
Executive Office of the President (Office of Science and Technology Policy)	1	1	0	0
Export-Import Bank	400	0	0	0
Farm Credit Administration	287	128	1	1
Federal Communications Commission	1,969	634	1	8
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	5092	2,195	0	0
Federal Elections Commission	10	10	0	10
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	1,183	336	0	2
Federal Housing Finance Board	105	0	0	0
Federal Labor Relations Authority	97	14	0	0
Federal Maritime Commission	128	10	0	0
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	238	120	0	1
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board	0	0	0	0
Federal Trade Commission	815	31	3	2
General Services Administration	11,219	2,874	5	47
Government Accountability Office*	-	-	-	-
Inter-American Foundation	47	13	0	1
International Boundary and Water Commission	60	0	0	0
International Trade Commission	371	45	0	4
Japan US Friendship Commission	3	3	0	0
Marine Mammal Commission	10	5		1
Merit Systems Protection Board	176	44	0	0
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	17,058	1,186	11	101
National Archives and Records Administration	1,767	170	1	0
National Capital Planning Commission	48	3	0	0
National Council on Disability	12	7	0	2
National Credit Union Administration	407	80	0	0
National Endowment for the Arts	164	44	0	1
National Endowment for the Humanities	170	67	0	3
National Labor Relations Board	1,319	447	2	15
National Mediation Board	52	16	0	1
National Science Foundation	1,296	276	0	4
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	3,138	789	3	26
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission	52	6	0	1
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight	181	181	0	2
Office of Government Ethics	77	6	0	0
Office of National Drug Control Policy	0	0	0	0
Office of Personnel Management	2,803	1,910	8	40
Office of Special Counsel	87	15	0	0
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	135	61	0	1
Peace Corps	825	15	0	0
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	516	192	2	3
Postal Rate Commission	0	0	0	0
Railroad Retirement Board	343	100	0	6
Securities and Exchange Commission	3,883	648	6	25
Selective Service System	115	4	0	0
Small Business Administration	3,323	328	2	4
Smithsonian Institution*	-	-	-	-
Social Security Administration	10,628	4,441	23	76
Tennessee Valley Authority	0	0	0	0
Trade and Development Agency	40	0	0	0
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum	300	73	0	7
U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board	16	15	1	1
U.S. Trade Representative*	-	-	-	-
Totals	753,770	140,694	699	3,300

* Did not report this data in 2004

Status of Agencies with Less than 2 percent Teleworkers

In House Report 107-575 of the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, 2003, the conferees directed OPM "to target executive agencies where less than 2 percent of employees telecommute" (see Appendix C). Of the 13 agencies reported in this category in 2003, only 7 (8%) remain under the 2 percent threshold. Some agencies failed to submit data, leaving OPM unable to evaluate their progress. OPM and GSA will continue efforts to assist these agencies to increase their participation rates.

Telework Centers

In Fall 2004, staff of the Washington Metropolitan Telework Centers boosted their current marketing efforts in an attempt to attract a wider audience of Federal agencies and employees. These efforts included the distribution of email information and updates and e-newsletters targeting Federal telework coordinators; direct residential mailings to citizens in the regions the Telework Centers serve; and participation in public events such as "Earth Day" and the Loudoun County, Virginia, Economic Summit. The Telework Centers joined forces with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and placed numerous media advertisements in both local and regional venues such as newspapers, radio stations, cable television stations, websites, and on roadside billboards viewed by tens of thousands of Federal commuters.

A 60-day free trial period for first-time Federal telework center users was offered, and resulted in 35 new Federal Telework Center workers. Twenty-four of these employees continued to use the Center after the trial period ended. As a direct result of the free trial offer, seven new agencies "tested" the use of the Telework Centers as remote worksites for their employees. Additionally, the Telework Center directors gave frequent tours of the Center facilities, and they traveled to various Federal agencies to present information to interested groups of employees and supervisors.

The Telework Centers were represented at all four of the 2004 quarterly Telework Coordinators' Meetings hosted by OPM and GSA, and staff provided updates to the meeting attendees on important trends and events. The Centers were represented at numerous agency-specific events, such as human resources fairs and exhibits, work-life events, and other venues which provided the opportunity to showcase the benefits the Centers had to offer.

During 2004, the Telework Centers were beginning to see a surge of activity as the Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning community considered the valuable part that telework in general, and the Telework Centers specifically, could play during COOP activities and events. During COOP, the Centers can serve as alternative worksites for agency personnel.

Telework Center usage by agency is listed in Table 4.

Table 4: Telework Center Usage by Department /Agency *

Department/Agency	# of employees 2004	# of employees 2003	Change	Total Centers	2004 Total Fees	2003 Total Fees	Change
Department of Agriculture	36	49	-13	12	$69,512	$98,000	($28,488)
Department of Commerce	42	15	27	13	$52,532	$20,318	$32,214
Department of Homeland Security	11			5	$65,514
Department of Defense	125	168	-43	15	$259,706	$304,066	($44,360)
Department of Education	35	34	1	14	$91,786	$71,139	$20,647
Department of Energy	5	6	-1	2	$7,548	$7,968	($420)
Environmental Protection Agency	5	3	2	5	$11,608	$9,916	$1,692
Federal Emergency Management Agency		1			$720	-	-
General Services Administration	29	34	-5	9	$77,272	$88,620	($11,348)
Department of Health and Human Services	36	32	4	12	$69,598	$63,910	$5,688
House of Representatives	3	3	0	3	$6,408	$5,763	$645
Department of Housing and Urban Development	2	1	1	2	$5,706	$5,544	$162
Department of Interior	4	4	0	4	$3,122	$6,496	($3,374)
Department of Justice	1	11	-10	3	$12,240	$19,520	($7,280)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	1	1	0	1	$1,400	$1,200	$200
Office of Government Ethics	1	2	-1	1	$3,600	$3,912	($312)
Office Of Personnel Management	11	10	1	7	$30,440	$32,678	($2,238)
Securities and Exchange Commission	1			1	$520	-	-
Department of Transportation	35	45	-10	12	$56,517	$66,382	($9,865)
Department of Treasury	1	13	-12	1	$1,296	$67,152	($65,856)
Veterans Affairs	2	3	-1	2	$11,040	$16,000	($4,960)
Grand Total	386	435	-49	124	$838,085	$889,304	($51,219)
	Decrease -11.26%						Decrease -5.7%

* Source for Telework Center Data- General Services Administration

Barriers to Telework

According to survey results, the most prevalent barrier to the successful implementation of telework was office coverage challenges. Next were the nature of the agency's work and data security issues, respectively. These results differ from last year's in that the most prevalent barrier to telework implementation in 2003 was the nature of the agency work, followed by office coverage challenges. The third most prevalent barrier, data security issues, remained third in both 2004 and 2003 (see Chart 7).

To overcome these barriers, OPM and GSA have provided substantial technical assistance to those agencies requesting guidance and consultation (see Chart 8). Additionally, results showed agencies addressed these and other barriers in their organizations using the following techniques:

• 30 agencies (37%) provided increased opportunities for telework training to employees and managers;

• 20 agencies (24%) established electronic telework reporting systems;

• 13 agencies (16%) increased the budget for IT support of telework;

• 20 agencies (24%) conducted initiatives to increase management support of telework; and

• 25 agencies (30%) intensified their telework program marketing efforts.

d

d

OPM and GSA Efforts to Promote Telework in 2004

OPM and GSA, as partners in telework, were involved in several projects and began several initiatives which served to further the prevalence and use of telework among Federal employees governmentwide. These initiatives included:

• Agency Visits. In an effort to be more proactive, OPM and GSA made several agency visits to discuss telework programs, policies, and practices within the agencies, particularly as they relate to COOP. OPM and GSA understood the value of educating the agencies on using the flexibility that telework offers for COOP and emergency planning. These visits laid the foundation that will continue into the future as OPM and GSA provide additional guidance on integrating telework and COOP planning.

• Training. To address the barriers sometimes associated with implementing telework programs, two training sessions are available on www.USALearning.gov. The courses are Telework 101 for Managers: Making Telework Work for You and Telework 101 for Employees: Making Telework Work for You. These sessions provide an overview of telework from the perspective of the supervisor and the organization, and from the perspective of the individual employee.

• OPM/GSA Telework Website. This joint website, www.telework.gov , provides employees, telework coordinators and managers with an array of telework resources. In addition to displaying telework laws, the website highlights agency policies, helpful guides for implementation and information about telework centers.

• Webinars. Introduced in 2004, webinars offer a unique, interactive venue for highlighting the benefits of resolving the problems associated with telework. Viewed on one's computer and heard through the telephone, webinars are geared to supervisors who are struggling with barriers in implementing telework in their work units. Three webinars were held in 2004, with over 200 supervisors receiving training and feedback on their current and future telework practices.

• Quarterly Telework Coordinators Meetings. Used to inform and educate the telework coordinators on important information they need to perform their telework responsibilities, these meetings were used to discuss the annual survey and results, review important new or proposed legislation, network among peers, and share best practices. The average number of attendees was 70.

• Conference Presentations. Telework presentations were delivered at two important conferences - International Telework Advisory Council (ITAC) 2004 Annual Conference and the OPM Federal Workforce Conference 2004. The presentation at ITAC was on "Federal Telework Progress, Problems, and Possibilities" focused not only on telework progress and problems, but also on its importance as a flexible tool that supervisors and agencies can use in their COOP planning. The OPM Federal Workforce Conference 2004 presentation provided a general overview of telework in the Federal Government.

Conclusion

OPM and GSA remain committed to advancing telework in the Federal Government. To this end, agency visits and quarterly coordinators meetings will proceed into the future; new resources for agency use will be developed; and consulting and technical assistance will continue. Additionally, we will forge ahead with activities such as presentations at conferences, participation in events, and on-going dialogue at important meetings; and we will develop new strategies to further increase telework within the Federal workforce.

Numerous research studies tout the benefits of telework, and support the notion that telework serves to satisfy individual, organizational, and global objectives. The positive impact telework can have on an employee's reduced commuting time, effort, and costs; increased productivity; and increased control over the delicate act of balancing work and personal responsibilities is tremendous. Benefits to the organization, including the increased ability to recruit and retain valuable employees, gain higher productivity, and experience boosted morale, are clearly documented. Reduced commuting serves to benefit the environment by fewer pollutants being dispersed into the air, and less wear and tear to roads and vehicles.

In summary, the prevalence of telework continues to grow and progress in the Federal Government with over 140,000 eligible Federal employees (19% of the total workforce) taking advantage of the opportunity to work from alternative worksites. Telework is an important human capital tool, presenting agencies with significant opportunities for increased organizational effectiveness. For those Federal agencies maximizing its application, telework can reap substantial benefits when integrated into the routine business practices of the organization.

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