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The Telework Conundrum
The devastation of hurricane Katrina and the recent attacks on the London subway, the ever-present threat of more terrorist attacks in the U.S., the exponentially increasing cost of gas, and the ongoing desire of American workers to improve their life/work balance has driven a lot of recent commentary on the federal government's performance in enabling telework. While both the number of federal employees eligible to telework and the number actually teleworking have increased over the past several years, progress has been slow and falls far below the expectations of many.
Adoption of telework began in the federal government in 1990 with the development of a statutory framework for executive branch agencies. Why, then, after 15 years of effort, isn't telework more common in the federal government? Research unearths many—often contradictory—answers. It is the very volume, complication and contradictory nature of these answers that limits successful implementation of telework policies.
Roadblocks
Data Security
One of the most commonly cited reasons for the limited implementation of telework within the federal government is also one of the most contradictory. According to CDW-Government research, two thirds of teleworking federal employees use personal, rather than government-issued, computers, which raises concerns among federal IT professionals about data security. According to CDW-G's research, federal IT professionals cite information security as their top concern related to telework. Two-thirds of federal IT professionals interviewed said they were not sure if telework would impact their ability to meet Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements.
On the other hand, recent Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) research indicates that security is not an obstacle within the federal government to expanding telework. The CSIA points out that there are many technologies currently available to protect against common data security issues, noting that the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) provides guidelines for selecting and specifying security controls for IT systems that support executive agencies. CSIA notes two types of security that are essential for ensuring the security of telework: network security for intra-agency communications and connections used by teleworkers, and physical security for data on mobile devices. Each type of security includes several components:
Network Security
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Mobile Device Security
Anti-virus Authentication Encryption Firewall |
Because data protections exist, and are widely and successfully used in the public and private sectors, CSIA contends that telework's limited success is the result of issues other than security.
Management Culture
Federal managers have cited several reservations about allowing their direct reports to telework, including:
The employee's availability for face-to-face interactions when needed Potential resentment of other staff members who cannot, or do not, telecommute Anticipated communication problems.
While experienced managers of teleworkers have not actually experienced these problems, and in spite of the wide availability of best practices information to combat these potential challenges, those without experience in this area continue to harbor anxiety.
Lack of Awareness
Lack of awareness of eligibility or acceptability of telework has long been cited as a limit to its implementation. A survey of 74 agencies in 2003 showed that while 99 percent of agencies surveyed had telework policies in place, only 46 percent of those agencies had a procedure in place to notify employees of their eligibility to telework. But recent numbers are much more encouraging. According to CDW-G research completed in January and April 2005, the proportion of federal employees who said they were unsure if they were eligible to telework dropped from 14 percent to 12 percent between the two surveys. Similarly, the proportion of federal employees who did not know if they could telework dropped from 12 percent to 9 percent in the same surveys.
Limited Direct Financial Benefit
Finally, the structure of the federal budget, which requires agency leaders to return savings generated by reduced overhead for office space to the federal Treasury, impacts the growth of teleworking. This policy indeed seems to exemplify the clichˇ "no good deed goes unpunished."
The Upsides of Telework
The benefits of telework far outweigh its challenges and potential costs across a wide range of areas, including disaster mitigation, cost containment, and employee satisfaction/retention.
Disaster Mitigation
Nearly every organization in the U.S. has come to recognize the need for business continuity (BC) or continuity of operations plans (COOP), not only in the face of drastic events such as terrorist attacks, but even for more mundane events such as snowstorms. What is less common is the use of telework as part of the BC/COOP plan. According to a 2004 study by the International Telework Association and Council (ITAC), less than half of organizations interviewed integrated telework into their BC/COOP plans.
But, telework is an essential part of a BC/COOP plan for a wide variety of reasons:
Telework automatically integrates more flexibility into the system, enabling faster recovery. Dispersion of staff and equipment minimizes disruption. Part of the organization can continue to operate and serve customers. Some portion of employees are protected from potential disasters. Transmission of illness is minimized. Recovery costs are reduced.
Offices that have remote workers on staff are better prepared for disaster situations as well because their teleworkers already know how to access the system remotely, handle technology and connection problems on their own, and work successfully unsupervised.
Cost Containment
While there is some expense associated with teleworking (one-time set-up costs per worker range from $500 to $1,500, and annual support costs range from $300 to $700 per teleworker), the return on that investment is positive. According to studies, telework can reduce employee turnover by 20 percent and absenteeism by 60 percent, save agencies up to $10,000 per employee per year in reduced absenteeism and retention costs, and increase productivity by 22 percent. Depending on the number of eligible employees, that can add up to real savings for the federal government.
Employee Satisfaction
A telework option can serve as both a recruitment and a retention strategy. A third of CIOs say telework in the number one incentive for attracting top talent, and nearly half say telework is second to salary as the top draw.
More importantly, employees perceive real benefits from telework. While hard numbers demonstrating this benefit are difficult to nail down, employees who telework note reduced stress, higher productivity, better balance between work and home, and reduced personal cost among the benefits.
Best Practices
Several telecommuting best practices—manager, employee, and process—have emerged.
Managers must be willing to experiment. While managers of employees who telecommute often express reservations prior to its implementation, their concerns rarely materialize. Because telecommuting presents its own challenges and rewards, successful managers of telecommuters must be willing to experiment until they find the right process for their telecommuting employees
Telecommuting employees must be motivated and self-starting. In part because telecommuting is still not as widespread in the federal government as elsewhere, those employees who want to embrace telecommuting often must put together a strong case and present it to their managers. Furthermore, those employees must demonstrate a willingness to work harder than their on-site colleagues to ensure they stay abreast of internal activities and events and that communications remain strong.
Managers and telecommuters must define expectations clearly and early. It is essential for managers to establish performance expectations, develop work plans, and then hold regular performance reviews against goals. The "no surprises" adage is even more important in a telecommuting situation than in an on-site situation.
Flexibility is key. Both managers and telecommuters must be willing to be flexible with their schedules as the flow and volume of work dictates.
Technology must be available, reliable, and appropriately leveraged. Telework relies to a large extent on technology—high-speed internet access, mobile and land line telephones, and safe accessible networks, to name a few. The technology, and support, must be in place to ensure the success of a telecommuting environment.
Telework should be built into BC/COOP planning. One of the greatest benefits of telecommuting to the organization is its ability to mitigate disaster. Actively including telecommuting as part of the BC/COOP plan ensures maximization of the opportunity.
Telework by the Numbers
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Telework Eligibility |
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Federal employees eligible to telework in 2002 |
35% |
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Federal employees eligible to telework in 2003 |
43% |
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Federal employees eligible to telework as of April 2005 |
51% |
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Federal employees unsure if they are eligible to telework as of January 2005 |
14% |
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Federal employees unsure if they are eligible to telework as of April 2005 |
12% |
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Federal employees who do not know if they can telework as of January 2005 |
12% |
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Federal employees who do not know if they can telework as of April 2005 |
9% |
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Telework Participation |
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Eligible federal employees teleworking in 2003 |
14% |
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Increase in eligible federal employees teleworking between 2002 and 2003 |
0% |
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Eligible federal employees teleworking as of January 2005 |
19% |
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Eligible federal employees teleworking as of April 2005 |
20% |
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Employed Americans who performed any kind of work from home in 2003 |
41.3M |
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Employed Americans who performed any kind of work from home in 2004 |
44.4M |
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Increase in employed Americans who performed any kind of work from home between 2003 and 2004 |
7.5% |
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Teleworkers who worked at home at least one day per month in 2003 |
23.5M |
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Teleworkers who worked at home at least one day per month in 2004 |
24.1M |
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Increase in teleworkers who worked from home at least on day per month between 2003 and 2004 |
2.6% |
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Telework Benefits |
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Employee turnover reduction generated by telework |
20% |
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Employee absenteeism reduction generated by telework |
60% |
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Savings per employee per year in reduced absenteeism and retention costs |
$10,000 |
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Productivity increase generated by telework |
22% |
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CFOs who say telework is the number one incentive in attracting top talent |
33% |
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CFOs who say telework is second only to salary as top draw |
46% |
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Telework IT Issues |
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Federal employees teleworking using a personal—versus government-issued—computer |
67% |
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Federal IT professionals surveyed who are not sure if telework would impact their ability to meet Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements |
67% |
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Telework Policies/Costs |
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Telework policies in place within 74 surveyed agencies in 2003 |
99% |
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Of 74 agencies surveyed those that had a procedure in place for giving employees formal notification of their eligibility to telework |
46% |
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Businesses that include telework in their business continuity (BC)/continuity of operations plan (COOP) |
46% |
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One-time setup costs per teleworker |
$500 to $1,500 |
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Annual ongoing support costs per teleworker |
$300 to $700 |
Resources Used for This Article
Making Telework a Federal Priority: Security is Not the Issue. Cyber Security Industry Alliance. July 2005.
The Teleworker. July 2005. http://www.teleworkexchange.com/news.asp.
Exploring Telework as a Business Continuity Strategy: A Guide to Getting Started. International Telework Association and Council (ITAC). http://www.telecommute.org/pdf/ITAC-ExecSummFINALweb.pdf.
Telework Works: A Compendium of Success Stories. Office of Personnel Management. May 2001. http://www.opm.gov/studies/FINAL-TELEWRK.pdf.
Key Practices to Increasing Federal Telework. General Accounting Office. GAO-14-950T. 2004. www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-950T.
Additional Resources
U.S. Government Telework Site at http://www.telework.gov
OPM Telework Study at http://www.opm.gov/studies/index.htm
GSA Telework guidance at http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/content/offerings_content.jsp?contentOID=115208&contentType=1004&PMPW=1&S503=1
The Telework Exchange at http://www.teleworkexchange.com
Defense Logistics Agency's Telework Training for Supervisors at http://www.drms.dla.mil/telework/supervisorguide.pdf
International Telework Association and Council at http://www.telecommute.org/
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' Commuter Connection at http://www.mwcog.org/commuter/ccindex1.html
British Telework at http://www.teleworking-survey.co.uk/participants.html
A variety of research studies at http://www.engr.ucdavis.edu/~its/telecom/publist.html
State of Washington study at http://www.commuterchallenge.org/research.html
Department of Labor study at http://www.dol.gov/asp/telework/p1_1.htm
Net Inc. at http://www.netinc-usa.com/Telework/telelink.htm
JoAnn Pratt and Associates at http://www.joannepratt.com/TeleworkBibliography.htm
For information on how Pivotal Insight can help your organization with telework strategy, please visit us at www.pivotal-insight.com.
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