Federal Telework Progress Report Reveals Rise in Telework and Agency Confidence to Meet the Telework Enhancement Act Requi

Telework Exchange Reports High Scores on Telework Progress, Challenges Faced, and Recommendations for Expansion

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Telework Exchange^SM, a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the tangible value of telework, today announced the results of the “Federal Telework Progress Report: Making the Grade?,” which gauges Federal telework progress against the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 requirements, and notably the provisions within 180 days to build the foundation for a sustainable telework program. Underwritten by Juniper Networks, the report finds that those most responsible for telework programs, including official Telework Managing Officers (TMOs), are confident on meeting today's deadline in the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. This report shows that Federal agencies are making positive strides in telework advancement. Notably, 86 percent of TMOs reported an increase in telework participation in the past six months. The full report, which includes overall government-wide telework progress, top challenges, and peer-to-peer recommendations, is available at www.teleworkexchange.com/progressreport.

Making Telework Progress: Scoring High Marks

According to the report, the majority of TMOs say they will meet the June 7 deadline to establish a telework policy (86 percent), determine the eligibility for all employees of the agency to participate in telework (84 percent), and notify all agency employees of their eligibility to telework (76 percent). Additionally, the majority of agencies surveyed have training programs in place.

Additional goals outlined in the Telework Enhancement Act require agencies to establish and fill an official Telework Managing Officer position, require a written telework agreement between eligible employees and managers, develop an interactive training program for eligible employees and managers of teleworkers, incorporate telework into continuity of operations plans, and establish a system to collect and track telework data. Agencies are making strides in ensuring these requirements are met quickly as well, with the majority of agencies ahead of the curve.

“Telework is about making the Federal workforce attractive to our country’s best and brightest, mitigating traffic in the Washington region, and reducing emissions and air pollution. It’s a win, win, win,” said Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), author of the Telework Enhancement Act. “This report demonstrates that we are making progress and that agency heads are committed to implementing telework policy across the board.”

“I am pleased we are seeing progress,” said Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), a long-time advocate of telework. “While there is still room for improvement, it is good to see that telework is catching on. There are no downsides to teleworking. Everyone benefits.”

Help Wanted: Telework Tutors

The Federal Telework Progress Report finds that while telework participation is on the rise, telework leaders agree that the top telework challenges are capturing data and managing program metrics (49 percent), management support (46 percent), and technology support (38 percent). Additionally, Federal agencies have some ground to cover on updating their policies for purchasing telework-enabling technology set forth by the Office of Management and Budget. Some 70 percent will still need to update their policies to meet the agency’s July deadline.

“With evidence of positive and measurable progress, it is inspiring to see Federal agencies embracing the Telework Enhancement Act, and overall creating a more IT efficient government,” says Bob Dix, vice president of U.S. Government Affairs and Critical Infrastructure Protection, Juniper Networks. “According to the report, the majority of TMOs believe their agencies have moved toward insuring that adequate security provisions are in place. We can't stress the importance of having a strong security policy and IT support in place for telework programs. As agencies ramp up programs and continue to manage a more distributed workforce, they have to ensure data is protected.”

“Federal agencies are continuing to keep their finger on the telework pulse,” says Cindy Auten, general manager, Telework Exchange. “We see that the majority of agencies fundamentally understand 'why telework'. As agencies' programs continue to grow, we encourage leaders to leverage telework as a tool to meet agency requirements, including reducing real estate investments, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, maintaining a productive workforce, and/or recruiting a new generation of valued workers.”

Telework Exchange and Juniper will host a complimentary Webcast on Tuesday, July 19th from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET to discuss Federal telework progress and best practices on meeting the Telework Enhancement Act requirements. For more information and to register, visit www.teleworkexchange.com/progressreportwebcast.

Telework Exchange and Juniper Networks executed an online survey from May 9-23, 2011, collecting data from 37 Telework Managing Officers and 354 Federal employees. Eighty-eight percent surveyed represented Federal civilian and 12 percent represented the Department of Defense agencies. To learn more, download the results of the full report at www.teleworkexchange.com/progressreport.

About Telework Exchange, LLC

Telework Exchange is a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the tangible value of telework and serving the emerging educational and communication requirements of the Federal teleworker community. The organization facilitates communication among Federal teleworkers, telework managers, and IT professionals. For more information on Telework Exchange, please visit www.teleworkexchange.com.

CONTACT:

Telework Exchange
Mary Ellen Burke, 703-883-9000 ext. 131
mburke@teleworkexchange.com

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  District of Columbia  Virginia

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Telecommunications  Public Policy/Government  White House/Federal Government  Professional Services  Human Resources

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