Defense Department employees get new telecommuting directive

Plans to increase telecommuting in the federal workplace are taking off at the Defense Department, where Pentagon officials recently issued new policy and guidance on the measure. The new policy complies with a year-old law requiring federal agencies to establish policies allowing eligible employees to telecommute "to the maximum extent possible without diminishing employee performance." However, civilian Defense Department employees have had the authority to telework since 1995, according to a Pentagon spokeswoman, though few employees were taking advantage of the measure. "People had been teleworking and the numbers aren't very high, but we very much see this new policy as a clear effort to increase those numbers," she said. The policy and accompanying guide emphasize home-based work, although they also provide for working at telework centers or other approved sites. The policy encourages regular telework at least one day every two weeks for eligible Defense civilian employees, but also provides for ad hoc telework on an occasional, one-time or irregular basis. Employees and their supervisors must sign a telework agreement that outlines the work schedule and addresses security and equipment issues. It also records the telecommuter's anticipated reduction in commuting miles. "We see it very much as a recruitment tool in retention of employees," the spokeswoman said. "It's a very clear demonstration to the services that we are committed to increasing telework, a very important initiative in the [Defense] department." Managers are now identifying positions that lend themselves to telecommuting and offering employees in them the option of working from home or at a telework center. The need to find alternatives for workers displaced, grieving or coping due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks also drew attention to the measure. "The effect of Sept. 11 I think was that the advantages of telework became much more evident," the spokeswoman said. According to the Office of Personnel Management, 2.6 percent of the 1.7 million civilian federal employees telecommute at least once a week. The Defense Department is the largest civilian federal employer.