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The 2009 Telework Exchange Tele-Vision Awards Program
News: Telework Exchange Commends 2009 Tele-Vision Award Winners for Outstanding Telework Accomplishments
The 2009 Telework Exchange Tele-Vision Award recipients were honored at an awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at the City Club of Washington at Columbia Square in Washington, D.C. The ceremony featured guest speaker Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who recently reintroduced telework legislation on Capitol Hill with fellow House Representatives Sarbanes (D-MD) and Wolf (R-VA).
The 2009 Telework Exchange Tele-Vision Awards recognize excellence in government telework programs and their accomplishments in the following categories:
Below please find the 2009 award recipients:
Excellence in Telework Leadership
Organization: United States General Services Administration
Program: Telework Program
The General Services Administration (GSA) has a history of leadership in telework that continues today through its partnership with the Office of Personnel Management. The agency first established its telework policy in 1996 and in 2007, announced the “Telework Challenge,” which focused on increasing telework participation and enabled GSA to serve as a role model for other Federal agencies. The initial "challenge" goal was for 20 percent of GSA’s eligible workforce to telework at least one day a week by the end of 2008. GSA surpassed the goals for both 2008 and 2009, reporting that 43 percent of eligible employees telework at least one day a week.
In 2008, GSA implemented an updated and enhanced policy that reflects current telework needs and includes a Telework Agreement for use by all employees as well as a Telework Technology Plan for local-level use in ensuring telework “readiness.” The policy recognizes that telework supports GSA’s mission and role as a leader in environmental sustainability, enhances its ability to respond to emergency situations, and helps employees balance work and personal responsibilities.
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Best Use of Innovation and Technology to Support Telework
Organization: United States Patent and Trademark Office
Program: Office of General Law Telework Program
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of General Law (OGL) Telework Program is one of the only telework programs for a Federal government general counsel’s office. OGL is within the Office of General Counsel at the USPTO, an agency within the Department of Commerce. The goal of the OGL Telework Program is to attract and retain highly-skilled employees by providing work-life balance while advancing operational goals in productivity, responsiveness, efficiency, and space planning.
Following a telework pilot, completed in 2007, the OGL Telework Program was fully implemented and expanded in 2008, to include 100-percent participation by eligible employees. A unique aspect of the program is that participants receive the Enterprise Remote Access equipment and the Nortel Multimedia Communication System (MCS) to conduct their business and to ensure that the client is not impacted by the employee’s physical location. MCS performs as a digital telephony solution and as a collaboration tool for the OGL participating attorneys, which further enhances their ability to conduct agency business in a seamless fashion. In-house clients contact the attorney at a USPTO phone number and the teleworker receives the call through his or her laptop computer via voice-over Internet protocol. Additionally, OGL teleworkers are provided with a Webcam to conduct interviews, meetings, or informal discussions while working remotely. The program has improved employee retention and recruiting efforts as well as assisted OGL in managing office-space shortages.
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Best New Telework Initiative
Organization: United States Navy
Program: Virtual Command Pilot Program
The U.S. Navy’s new Virtual Command Pilot Program allows selected active duty Navy Officers and senior enlisted personnel to be assigned to shore duty commands in locations like Washington, D.C. but remain in their current geographic location. Using existing technology available through the Navy and Marine Corps Intranet, these individuals work remotely for their new command through telework.
The Virtual Command Pilot is a cutting edge concept to improve quality of life for military members and their families while reducing costs in permanent change of station transfers of personnel. This innovative program takes already existing information technology tools and puts them to use in providing a virtual command relationship between the parent command in one geographic location and the service member located, in many cases, on the other side of the country. Telework is the key to this program, as participants work from their homes or other alternate sights and access the Navy’s Intranet by use of the Broadband Remote Access System. Thus far, the program has allowed geographic stability and increased transportation savings for service members and their families, increased transportation savings for service members and their families, as well as created for the Navy and the government.
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Telework Program with Maximum Impact on Government
Organization: Defense Information Systems Agency
Program: Telework Program
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) telework program has been in existence since 2001. Initially the program authorized telework one day during every two week time period but beginning in January 2008, the policy now allows employees to telework a maximum of three days per week with supervisor approval. The expanded telework program has became one of the key elements in DISA’s recruitment and retention plan after the DoD base realignment plan to move the DISA Headquarters from Arlington, VA to Fort Meade, MD.
Under its policy, DISA furnishes government equipment for teleworking, consisting of a laptop and docking station. The policy includes ongoing employee and supervisor training, an innovative Web-based application to support the telework program, DISA telework centers at six locations nationwide, and templates for work plans to help managers and employees plan teleworking sessions and measure productivity. Approximately 45 percent of the agency’s workforce teleworks to some extent and DISA continues to look for ways to make improvements to its telework program.
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State and Local Government Telework Program
Organization: Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia
Program: Telework!VA
The Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s Telework!VA program assists private-sector and non-profit employers in Virginia in their efforts to implement or expand the use of telework as a business strategy. The Telework!VA program is a unique and innovative partnership between state government and the private sector that recognizes that telework is a business strategy that can improve the private sector’s bottom line, while also reducing strain on public infrastructure and providing critical tax-dollar savings. It is the only state government telework program that offers both hands-on, expert telework assistance and direct financial incentives. This combination recognizes and highlights the critical factors of a successful telework program: appropriate technology as well as suitable policies, training, and oversight. The adoption rate of the Telework!VA program by Virginia businesses and non-profits has increased by approximately 600 percent in 2008.
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Federal Telework Driver Award
Honoree: Bill McAlpin, Chief of Manpower and HR Systems
Organization: Defense Information Systems Agency
Bill McAlpin, Chief of Manpower and HR Systems at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), is the leader of the technology effort to support DISA’s telework program. Always looking for ways to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently, under his leadership, DISA developed the automated application system. This system was the catalyst for the rapid expansion and increased participation of the telework program. His vision of a paperless process, which provides an enterprise-wide, real-time, look at the application status of all applying employees, is now a reality and cornerstone of the DISA telework program. Mr. McAlpin is a leader that is walking the walk when it comes to telework. All branches under his supervision have the majority of employees teleworking while providing payroll support, manpower analysis, and HR systems development and support to the DISA population. His division is truly an example of how well telework can be utilized and still provides seamless support to customers.
Telework participation has increased 10-fold since the initial expansion of the telework policy. At this time, there are approximately 2,400 employees with approved telework applications for “regular and recurring” and “ad hoc” telework. Additionally, with the capabilities of the automated system, the telework program office can see the status of all submitted applications across DISA’s world-wide operation as well as have the ability to communicate directly with DISA’s teleworking community via e-mail or their telework portal on the internal communication network.
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State Telework Driver Award
Honoree: Jennifer Thomas Alcott, Telework!VA Program Manager
Organization: Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia
Jennifer Thomas Alcott, Telework!VA Program Manager, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia, contributes to the organization’s mission of improving the mobility of people and goods while expanding transportation choices in the Commonwealth as part of the Transportation Demand Management team. Since 1994, Ms. Alcott has been a passionate advocate of telework; providing hands-on assistance to organizations and individuals from the Federal, state, and local government industry, as well as the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Her knowledge of the technical side of telework, along with her insight into business strategy, gives her a balanced viewpoint that has been effective in stimulating change within multiple government and private-sector organizations that had previously been resistant to telework. She also serves as an expert speaker on telework at public events and educational forums, sponsored by a broad cross-section of government, industry, and citizen groups, and has testified before Congress on telework.
As the Program Manager for Telework!VA, Ms. Alcott has increased annual adoption rate of the Telework!VA program by Virginia businesses and non-profits by approximately 600 percent in one year and doubled the long-term, quantifiable benefits of the program to the Commonwealth in projected number of teleworkers as well as Vehicle Miles Travelled reduction. In 2008, in partnership with Pulsar Advertising, Ms. Alcott launched the revitalized Telework!VA Web site with in-depth training and educational tools that are a nation-wide, multi-industry resource.
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Thank you to the 2009 Telework Exchange Tele-Vision Awards Sponsor
For Award Enquiries:
Erin Lundberg
(703) 883-9000 ext. 116
elundberg@teleworkexchange.com
Government and industry gather together for the 4th Annual Telework Exchange Tele-Vision Awards Ceremony on June 2, 2009.
Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) discusses the future of telework in the Federal government.
 
United States Navy won the Tele-Vision Award for Best New Telework Initiative for its Virtual Command Pilot Program.
The Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia won the Tele-Vision Award for State and Local Government Telework Program for its Telework!VA program.
 
United States General Services Administration won the Tele-Vision Award for Excellence in Telework Leadership.
 
United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Office of General Law Telework Program won the Tele-Vision Award for Best Use of Innovation and Technology to Support Telework
Defense Information Systems Agency won the Tele-Vision Award for Telework Program with Maximum Impact on Government.
Jennifer Thomas Alcott, Program Manager for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Telework!VA program won the 2009 State Telework Driver Award.
Bill McAlpin, Chief of Manpower and HR Systems at Defense Information System Agency won the 2009 Federal Telework Driver Award.
Click here for more information on the 2008 Tele-Vision Award winners
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