Federal Agency Reports to Promote and Use Telework Center
Conclusion
Telework centers continue to offer real benefits to federal agencies and their employees. Agencies generally reported positive experiences with telework centers, finding them responsive to their needs and helpful to their employees. Agencies that do not use telework centers said that was mostly due to a combination of cost and a preference among teleworking employees for working at home.
While the usage rate for telework centers remains relatively low, the total number of employees using telework centers has increased considerably among the 20 covered agencies, from 337 users in
FY 1999 to 405 in FY 2001. Overall, 14 of the 20 agencies are now using telework centers for employees to perform all or some of their work duties. Agencies with significant increases in telework center use include the Department of Education, which went from six users in FY1999 to 36 in FY2001; the Office of Personnel Management, which went from six users in FY1999 to 17 in FY2001; and the Department of Agriculture which went from 29 users in FY1999 to 45 in FY2001.
The funds appropriated to GSA to offset the operational cost of the telework centers ended after FY 2000 and agencies are now required to pay 100 percent of the telework center usage fees. The lack of appropriated funds for subsidy in FY 2001 did not affect the utilization of telework centers by the 20 covered agencies. In comparing the amount spent on telework centers in 1999 to the amount spent in 2001, we found that 14 of the 20 agencies spent the same or even more on telework center use. GSA maintained the existing fees for FY 2001 by subsidizing the telework centers out of the Federal Buildings Fund in lieu of direct appropriations from Congress. The total cost to GSA to operate these Centers was more than $2 million in FY 2001. During that time, GSA collected approximately $800,000 in user fees.
While only two agencies spent funds to promote telework centers in FY 1999 and 2000 and only one in FY 2001, GSA encourages telework center use through a variety of marketing efforts including radio announcements, brochures, commuter ads, and carpooling packets. Additionally, the telework center directors provide training highlighting the advantages of telework centers.