Government could be losing momentum on telework

The federal government has fallen behind in its adoption of telework programs, leaving agencies unprepared to continue operating during emergency situations, according to a new report.

The study, released on Thursday by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, found the federal telework movement has lost momentum in recent years, and agencies aren't prepared to use flexible work opportunities fully in the event of a terrorist attack, flu pandemic or inclement weather. While the federal government saved money through work-at-home arrangements during the Washington-area snowstorms this past February, the practice was not as widespread as it should have been and was not completely integrated into continuity of operations plans, the report said.

"It's not only about how you recruit and retain better people, it's about a critical government function," said Max Stier, president of the Partnership. "We know we're going to get curveballs, but we are not ready in the way that we need to be to provide the American people the services they need in those circumstances."

According to the Office of Personnel Management, less than 6 percent of eligible full-time employees work outside the office at least one day each month. In addition, the government has seen a steep decline in teleworkers, down from nearly 141,000 in 2004 to around 95,000 in 2007.

Telework has made headlines in recent months. President Obama has called for a 50 percent increase in employees eligible to telework, and both the House and Senate are considering legislation to boost federal telework policies. In addition, OPM recently launched a workplace flexibility program for nearly 400 agency employees.

Getting management on board with telework is a key barrier, according to the report, which was based on government data and interviews and focus groups with managers, telework coordinators and federal employees from multiple agencies. Managers worry they won't be able to track the performance of employees who are outside the office, and some have reported labor unions targeted them when they supervised and disciplined teleworkers, researchers found. In addition, employees worry they will be forgotten if face-to-face time is limited, and some feel resentment about arbitrary eligibility for telework opportunities.

The skepticism is driven in part by the lack of metrics for evaluating good work in government, Stier said.

"People use physical presence as proxy," he said. "That's a problem that's larger than just the telework issue: getting high-quality work in a timely fashion, but people don't know what that good work looks like."

Abram Zwany, senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, said government needs better performance management systems to define expectations and regularly monitor results. Metrics to track and understand how well employees are doing are important for progress, he added. The report, which Stier said offers a "plan of action" for moving forward on flexible work programs, recommends the government set a goal of 600,000 teleworking employees by 2014.

According to Zwany, there's not enough recognition that telework is a win-win for federal agencies and their employees. Flexible work arrangements allow the government to save on real estate, operating and energy costs; provide better service with expanded hours; retain employees with flexible work-life balance opportunities; and compete with the private sector in the labor market, he said.

Stier acknowledged that government uses flex time and compressed workweeks effectively, but telework, job sharing and part-time arrangements meet more resistance.

"The federal government is a change-resistant environment," Stier said. "That's a mistake if we're going to provide the real services the American people need. We need to be much more aggressive in providing these kinds of arrangements."