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For more than 20 years, Federal government officials have been discussing telework options, alternatives, and strategies. Only in the past five years have technology, traffic, and talent converged to make these concepts a reality for many government employees, managers, and their constituents.
November 19, 1995: Legislation passes that allows government funds to help equip Federal employee homes with necessary teleworking equipment.
October 21, 1998: The Federal government mandates at least $50,000 be appropriated to each executive agency for teleworking expenses.
October 23, 2000: Section 359 passes, requiring agencies to establish policies so that eligible workers can telework, yet maintain performance standards. The law says that within six months, the mandates should be applied to 25 percent of the Federal workforce, and an additional 25 percent each year thereafter.
February 9, 2001: Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offers guidance to executive agency and department heads to help them comply with the telework laws.
2001: OPM reports that 53,389 Federal employees are teleworking.
2002: OPM reports that 625,313 Federal employees (35 percent of the Federal workforce) are telework eligible.
2003: OPM reports that 751,844 Federal employees (43 percent of the Federal workforce) are telework eligible.
November 20, 2004: The omnibus spending bill approved by Congress withholds $5 million from the budgets of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State until each ensures eligible employees are able to telework.
December 8, 2004: The Federal government requires agencies to provide quarterly telework progress reports to the Committees on Appropriations, detailing the number of employees eligible versus the number actually teleworking. Each department or agency must designate a "telework coordinator" to oversee such programs.
January 31, 2005: A CDW Government study of Federal employees finds that 49 percent of the workforce is either ineligible to telework or unsure if they are eligible.
April 5, 2005: With support from Karen Evans, Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and IT at the Office of Management and Budget, the Telework Exchange, an online community focused on eliminating telework gridlock, was launched.
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