Telework expansion could save money and diversify hiring pool, officials say

Security concerns and the limitations of existing technology shouldn't prevent agencies from expanding telework programs, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said at a conference in Washington on Thursday.

"What I do not wish to accept is that the conversation ends at 'We have security concerns, let's not proceed further on discussions of telework,' " said Chopra, who helped implement Virginia's telework program in his former role as the commonwealth's technology secretary. "We are hungry to bring the private sector's best practices into our operations…. There are a wide range of technologies, both existing and emerging, that would help to move the ball forward in many of these circumstances."

Berry told participants at the Telework Exchange's town hall-style meeting that as part of regularly scheduled technology upgrades at OPM, staff had switched from cumbersome desktop computers to laptops with built-in broadband cards, making it much easier for them to work remotely. Berry said the transition was prompted both by the desire to expand the agency's telework capacity and by suggestions from younger workers who are part of an OPM team examining recruiting and outreach strategies.

Chopra encouraged participants to present business plans that outlined potential cost savings and productivity gains when they lobbied for expanded telework programs within their agencies. Berry said agencies could save money by purchasing new technology; the laptop upgrades were actually less expensive than other computers that OPM was considering, he said.

Both men said long-term investments in technology could make it significantly easier for employees to work off-site. OPM currently is modernizing its telecommunications system, which dates back to the 1960s, so it will be better equipped to provide support to its teleworkers. Chopra said nationwide expansions of broadband Internet would provide consistent levels of access for teleworkers in rural areas.

Berry and Chopra also pointed out that telework could open up government jobs to new populations and ensure agencies can operate during emergencies. Chopra said the Virginia Department of Tax decided to turn certain jobs into full-time telework positions so it could hire residents who lived in depressed areas, rather than simply hire people who lived in the Richmond area. Berry said while some federal agencies with offices near the G-20 economic meetings in Pittsburgh are giving employees paid leave this week, 75 percent of OPM employees in that city already telework regularly, so they are able to continue working with little disruption.

Berry said President Obama should serve as a model for agencies and employees.

"When you think about it, the president is really the teleworker in chief. He's connected wherever he goes," Berry said. "Yesterday was a good example: New York City in the morning, Pittsburgh in the afternoon and Washington at night. While the president has a little bit of a unique position, and everyone can't have all of his communications gear, the technology is catching up to that."