The Status of Telework in the Federal Government
I. Executive Summary
Section 359 of Public Law 106-346 requires each Executive agency to establish a policy under which eligible employees may participate in telecommuting to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance. It further instructs the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to assure that the requirements of Section 359 are applied to 25 percent of the federal workforce by April 2001 and to an additional 25 percent of the workforce each year thereafter. The accompanying Conference Report directs OPM to evaluate the effectiveness of the telework program and report its findings to Congress. (See Appendix 1.) This Report to Congress is being submitted in compliance with these directives.
OPM surveyed federal agencies in April 2001 and again in November 2001 to ascertain the status of telework within the Federal Government and gauge agency progress in implementing the requirements of Section 359. The surveys asked agencies to provide data on the number of teleworking and telework eligible employees, agency policy development, barriers in implementing telework, and steps being taken to overcome those barriers and increase the number of teleworkers. (See Appendix 2.)
Agencies reported 74,487 federal teleworkers as of October 1, 2001, a 39.5 percent increase in the number of reported federal teleworkers over seven months. (See Appendix 4, Tables 1 & 2.) However, federal telework utilization rates remain low in contrast with the total U.S. workforce. The 74,487 reported teleworkers represent only 4.2 percent of total employees in the 63 responding agencies. The most recent October 2001 International Telework Association and Council (ITAC) survey of national telework practices reports a 20 percent telework rate for the total U.S. workforce.
While only two agencies reported having no telework policy in place as of October 1, 2001, virtually all of the 63 responding agencies reported specific and extensive activities to expand their policies and increase the number of teleworkers. Training was by far the most frequently cited tool for expanding telework participation and addressing barriers to telework.
In the April survey, agencies identified barriers to telework. They included management concerns, funding for equipment and services, fairness to all employees, security of classified documents, employee concerns about isolation, and electronic connectivity to the office. Management concerns were the barrier most frequently mentioned. In November, agencies described a wide range of activities to address these barriers.
While OPM has been working to promote telework within the Federal Government for over a decade, our efforts were re-energized with the passage of P.L. 106- 346. On April 17, 2001, we hosted an all day inter-agency strategic planning session to expand our existing mechanisms for achieving maximum use of telework. In addition to OPM staff, the planning session included representatives of the General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Transportation (DOT). AT&T, with its demonstrated success with telecommuting, served as a resource to the group. To assure that our activities remain focused on real needs, we continue to strengthen and expand our partnerships with the agencies and relevant telework-related organizations.
A unifying theme coming out of the strategic planning session, our partnerships with agencies, and the April survey, is that training and education are critical to expanding telework in the Federal Government. OPM activities, therefore, seek to enhance training for all parties involved-agency leadership, managers and supervisors, and employees. In spring 2001, we developed a Strategic Training Plan to guide and focus our efforts in this area. The plan includes production of an internet-based telework training module. Twenty agencies have been participating in the design of he training module over the last three months.
To garner top agency management support and leadership for the cultural changes necessary for advancing telework, OPM and U.S. Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia co-sponsored a Telework Leadership Conference on October 19, 2001. The Leadership Conference was followed with a one-hour satellite broadcast to federal agencies nationwide on November 14, 2001.
OPM and GSA joined forces in late 2000 to coordinate and lead a massive in-depth review of governmentwide telework policies and established the Telework Issues Working Group to spearhead the effort. Over the past year, 25 representatives of 16 agencies have participated in this policy review. Seventy-seven issues have been identified by agencies, which the Working Group categorized for purposes of increased focus and ease of administration into seven topical groups: legal/procurement issues, telecommunications and equipment, taxes, workplace safety and health, human resource management, continuity of operations programs, and training. Pertinent research and recommendations are now being consolidated into a comprehensive report.
Overall, agencies are exhibiting strong motivation to implement and/or expand telework. However, the relatively low telework rates confirm that much work remains. OPM is taking a comprehensive approach to confront barriers and facilitate the cultural change required to achieve maximum government-wide participation and full implementation of the telework mandate.