Kathy Kadilak, President of Strategic Work/Life Solutions, answers some tough questions about teleworking from The Teleworker readers.
 
Q: Is there a requirement to track telecommuting time? Some colleagues at other
agencies tell me that they have to record hours on timesheets so that they
can get an accurate report of hours to report next year. My agency does not.
Is there any requirement to get "accurate" statistics?

A: Yes, in fact, there is a requirement that Federal agencies track telework participation. Each year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requires all Federal agencies to complete a comprehensive telework survey that includes questions on the number of employees teleworking on a regular or ad-hoc basis. The agency responses provide the foundation for an OPM report to Congress on Federal-wide telework progress, so clearly OPM needs accurate statistics from the agencies. You can review the most recent OPM Telework Report to Congress (December 2007) on the interagency telework Web site www.telework.gov .

While your agency may not be tracking telework through the timekeeping system, there is likely some other way that the data is collected. If you look at page 10 of the 2007 OPM Telework Report to Congress, you will see some information on how different agencies track the data. In some agencies, teleworkers and their managers are responsible for tracking telework participation and then forwarding that information to the agency telework coordinator. You might consider contacting your agency telework coordinator to get specific information on how it works within your organization.

Q: Does the teleworking law apply to contractors?  How can government
contractors telework?

A: There are several laws that have been enacted within the last 10 years that are intended to increase telework among the Federal workforce. One that specifically references contractors is Public Law 108-136, Section 1428 of the Defense Authorization Act. This states, “Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation…to permit telecommuting by employees of Federal government contractors in the performance of contracts entered into with executive agencies.”

Therefore, if the Federal staff working with contractors is able to telework, there should be no prohibition to the contractor's employees doing so. Any contract language that unnecessarily requires contractors to work onsite each day should be amended as appropriate.

In terms of the “how” part of your question, it relates back to the contractor's company policy on telework and the needs of the Federal government. Ideally, the telework policy and procedures should be closely aligned to that of the government to ensure continuity and timeliness in completing tasks. It would be advisable for the contractor and government representatives to develop a mutually beneficial approach to telework.

The General Services Administration (GSA) currently is reviewing this issue and will likely produce some guidance in the near future.
 
Q: Are there any statistics that promote increased productivity by teleworking?

A: Yes, here are just a few that you may find interesting and useful:

• More than 100 Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) employees who telework experienced a 27 percent increase in productivity over their time in the office
• At Dow Chemical, administrative costs have dropped 50 percent annually (15 percent of which was attributed to savings in commercial real estate costs) and productivity increased by 32.5 percent (10 percent through decreased absenteeism, 16 percent by working at home, and 6.5 percent by avoiding the commute)
• JD Edwards teleworkers are anywhere from 20 to 25 percent more productive than their office-based counterparts
• IBM Canada have enjoyed teleworker productivity improvements of up to 50 percent
• AT&T realizes approximately $150 million in annual savings by teleworking: $100 million through direct employee productivity, $35 million through reduced real estate costs, and $15 million through enhanced employee retention
• American Express teleworkers produce 43 percent more business than office workers
• Telework Exchange reports in the “Face-to-Face with Management Reality” study that 66 percent of managers who manage teleworkers find that teleworkers are as productive as their in-office counterparts

Although the Federal government has significant anecdotal data on the positive impact of telework on productivity, there is a lack of quantitative data on this topic. In reviewing the 2007 OPM Telework Report (see page 12), there are references to the benefits of telework: 20 of the agencies reported an increase in productivity among teleworkers.

Q: As a supervisor, I have a lot of concerns about people teleworking. Let's face it –

you can't really know what your employees are up to when they are sitting at home while they work. How can I be sure that they are getting the job done and not doing personal things? What about customer service? If a customer needs an answer quickly, how can I be sure that our teleworkers will respond? I don't want to sound mean, but if people are so worried about the commute, maybe they should live closer to their workplace. I understand that you may not want to print my comments and questions, but I just had to give you another viewpoint.

A: To the contrary, I'm really glad that you wrote in. Believe it or not, a lot of managers feel the same way you do! Managers who are new to telework typically do struggle with how to best measure the performance of their remote workers. One point that I would like you to consider is this: How do you know what your employees are up to when they are in the main office? Isn't it possible that they are playing computer games, taking a long lunch, chatting with co-workers down the hall, or on personal phone calls? The best way to ensure that employees are doing the job you expect is to develop clear, concise performance standards . You measure each employee's success against those agreed-upon standards. I'm talking about managing by results . If you know what you mean by quality and timeliness, you can judge your employees' performance regardless of where they are sitting while they work.

When it comes to customer service, I think you would find that it actually improves. Teleworkers are typically more accessible than their “in-office” co-workers. When your customer calls or e-mails, the fact that someone is working at a home office or telework center is transparent to them.

The workplace is evolving as technology evolves and our workforce changes. You cannot change that reality, but you can adjust to it. Suggesting that people move closer to their workplace is not realistic given the cost of real estate in many metropolitan cities and the roots that people develop in their home towns.

I'd strongly suggest that you consider a telework pilot program and give this a chance. Allow a limited number of staff members to try it out. I believe you will be pleased with the results and will find that morale and productivity increase. If you need more information on telework and how to get started, you might visit the following Web sites: www.teleworkexchange.com , www.teleworkva.org , and www.telework.gov .

 

Do you have questions about telework in your organization?

Send to kkadilak@msn.com and they may appear in a future issue of The Teleworker .