Building on President George W. Bush's call for energy conservation nationwide following the disruption of fuel supplies due to Hurricane Katrina, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) urges renewed efforts by Federal agencies and departments to increase the use of telework, carpooling, and public transportation by employees. At OPM, we want to assist your efforts to meet this challenge by sharing with you information on the important human capital tools available to you.
Telework presents agencies with significant opportunities to reduce fuel consumption and traffic congestion. With today's technology, many employees can perform at least some of their work functions at their homes or at alternate worksites closer to their homes, eliminating or reducing the need to commute. This will make a significant contribution toward dealing with the fuel shortage problem we are now facing. Our partner in the telework initiative, the General Services Administration, is offering free use of their telework centers through the end of 2005 to all Federal employees. Information about this offer and how your human resources office can implement telework efficiently and effectively is available at our joint website (www.telework.gov).
I also urge you to take additional actions to meet the current fuel price challenge by implementing the human capital and workplace flexibilities available to your agency. You can encourage your employees to use carpooling and vanpooling, shuttle services, public transportation, and transit subsidy programs. Alternatives to face-to-face meetings, such as conference calls, videoconferencing, and email exchanges might be viable options for communication, eliminating the need for some travel. Collectively, these strategies can reduce Federal employee vehicular use of gasoline.
As Government leaders, we play a significant role in guiding our Nation through these challenging times. I strongly encourage you to use all of your available options and thereby make a significant contribution to conserving our natural resources.
For additional information, agency Chief Human Capital Officers and/or Human Resources (HR) Directors may contact their assigned OPM Human Capital Officer. Employees should contact their agency human resources offices for assistance.
cc: Chief Human Capital Officers
Directors of Human Resources