Report Tile

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Report Tile
Telework in the Federal Government- Today,
Tomorrow and the Future
UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
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Telework History

• Background
• Scheduling difficulties
• Emergency efforts
• Telework Centers

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Telework

• Public Law 106-346, 359 of October 23, 2000
• Each executive agency shall establish a policy
  under which eligible employees of the agency may
  participate in telecommuting to the maximum
  extent possible without diminished employee
  performance.
• Definition of Telework refers to any
  arrangement in which an employee regularly
  performs officially assigned duties at home or
  other work sites geographically convenient to the
  residence of the employee.
• 2005 Annual Telework Survey

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Role of Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

• Collect data from all Federal agencies and report
  to Congress
• Offer guidance and assistance to agencies in
  creating telework policies and managing telework
  programs, in partnership with the General
  Services Administration (GSA)
• Serve as a resource for agency telework
  coordinators

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Role of Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
(Contd)

• Provide online and in-person training for various
  audiences
• Represent the Federal Government telework program
  to all stakeholders

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Role of Agency

• Designate telework coordinator
• Establish and communicate agency policy and
  programs
• Set up the necessary processes and supports

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Role of Agency (Contd)

• Identify eligible employees
• Identify and address barriers
• Track participation and report to OPM

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Role of Manager

• Determine employee eligibility
• Understand and assess the needs of the workgroup
• Create signed agreements
• Base denials on business reasons
• Use good Performance Management Practices

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Role of Manager (contd)

• Communicate expectations
• Remain equitable in assigning work and rewarding
  performance
• Make good decisions about equipment
• Practice, practice, practice

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Role of Employee

• Conduct an honest self-assessment
• Create a good telework agreement
• Safeguard information and data
• Plan the work
• Manage expectations and communication

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Telework in the Federal Government

• Facts
• 140,694 eligible Federal employees telework
• 19 of the eligible Federal workforce teleworks
• The total number of teleworkers reported has
  almost doubled in the last five years
• The Status of Telework in the Federal
  Government, Report to Congress, 2005.

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Past Practices

• Hosted quarterly telework coordinators meetings
• Issued a lengthy Annual Telework Survey
• Provided minimal guidance to Federal agencies

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Present Practices

• Streamline the Annual Telework Survey
• Discuss Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans
  with Federal Agencies
• Offer recommendations for security concerns

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Present Practices (contd)

• Decrease the number of telework coordinators
  meetings to 2 a year
• Revise the online telework courses to include a
  Pandemic Health Crisis module
• Create a new telework guide for managers and
  employees

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Future Plans

• Develop agency individualized telework plans for
  increasing telework participation
• Conduct telework webinars (on-line training
  facilitated by a telework expert)
• Provide classroom training for managers
• Standardize telework tracking

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Resources

• www.telework.gov
• Status of Telework in the Federal Government,
  Report to the Congress, 2005
• Barbara Kaplan, OPM, Lead Work/Life Program
  Specialist, 202-606-2012, Barbara.Kaplan_at_opm.gov