Telework Exchange - A Public - Private Partnership Focused On Eliminating Telework Gridlock

Great points Josh! I sense a kindred soul! The best managers are not threatened by telework, in fact they telework themselves so they know first-hand the benefits of this work arrangement. They also make sure that their employees are gainfully employed in exciting, energizing, engaging work and don't have time to be a "supervisor." Perhaps the reason that telework is so rare is that we have a scarcity of truly engaged managers. Let's not use the crutch of IT security to justify denying telework requests. This is truly a management issue, not a technical issue.

Josh, this is a really thought-provoking post. Great distinction between "manage" and "supervise." It's obvious that telework challenges traditional management roles and perceptions of employee productivity, and I think that telework has simply shed a spotlight on something that should have been addressed long ago. Evolving technology in the digital age all but requires us to take a step back, and examine traditional definitions of management that have most likely remained unchanged since the invention of the word processor. Managers need to realize that managing remote employees, and developing robust telework policies is not a hindrance, but rather a catalyst in strategically advancing their agency/company/employees to be poised for success.

Terry, Bethany, these are great comments (not just b/c they support my position). I really appreciate your contributions to the discussion. One of the things I like about telework when I wear my management policy hat is that it forces (or at least encourages) managers to really understand and quantify what their staff accomplish. The management by attendance phenomenon is not effective for knowledge workers.

Josh - Different Topic - Now that the Senate has unanimously passed a version of HR 1722, does this go to the President for signature? What are the next steps? What are the implications for Federal employees?

As I understand it, the version of HR 1722 passed by the Senate last night is slightly different than the version that was passed by the House, so the amended version needs to go back to the House for a final before it goes to the President. Since the House is adjourned for the election break, it won't get passed at least until the lame duck session in November. Assuming the House passes it and the President signs it into law (as is expected), the new law will create a Telework Management Official in each executive branch department and agency and set goals and responsibilities for telework participation and reporting. Overall, it puts into statute much of what has been practice in some, but not all agencies as well as some new reporting requirements.

Thanks Josh for sharing. Addressing a comment from Terry - What is/are the IT Security "crutches" that you refer to? I'm in the business of Security for Teleworkers (secure remote access) and the only issue that I actually see is awareness to solutions that address those concerns.

Thanks for commenting Chris. I'll take a stab at the "crutch" issue but hope Terry will comment as well. I have had discussions with management officials who say that they won't support telework because its not "safe" for their employees to access company/agency data from home. They often cite the high profile employee data (PII) spills as proof that this is the case. Its interesting that these high profile spills were not caused by regular teleworkers and it even makes the case that if we put everyone under a telework contract (and the requisite training) we increase our data safety across the board. As we move company and agency infrastructure from local area networks to the cloud, whether you access these data from the office or from elsewhere, its the same risk. The good news is that we have good, inexpensive, and easy to implement and use technology to mitigate this risk.

Josh - You captured the "IT Security Crutch" issue. Basically, we have sufficient safeguards to PII and other senstitive, but unclassified information. However, instead of just holding individuals accountable, we restrict access to everyone and use this as an excuse for not allowing telework. Looking forward to the Fall Telework Town Hall Meeting tomorrow. The Telework Exchange always does a great job in putting these productions together. Someday, these will be webcast, I'm sure.