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Welcome, today is Friday, May 16, 2008 |
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Resource Center > Leaders
Are you interested in telling your story? Please send your teleworking story to info@teleworkexchange.com.
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Nearly 75 percent of employees
telework in the Office of Real Property
Management, Office of Government-wide
Policy (OGP), General Services
Administration (GSA). To accommodate
this flexible work strategy, the
department has a shared office space -
called "the café" - for those working
in the office on a periodic basis.
"It’s a sort of ‘hot desking’ situation,"
says Billy Michael, a Senior Telework
Program Analyst with OGP. "We have
a couple desktop computers that we
share, and there are docking stations
for laptops." Of course, the café has
phones, a conference room, a small
kitchen, and other necessities. But
Michael uses this space only about two
or three times each month.
The rest of the time, he works from
his home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
His teammates are scattered across the
Washington Metropolitan area, some
working from home and others from
GSA-funded Federal Telework Centers.
"But we’re constantly connected and
communicating," says Michael.
The team stays in touch through a
few key mechanisms. Although there’s
nothing high-tech about it, the most
important tool is a daily or weekly
update. "Our protocol is to send out
a regular message to our associates,
letting them know where we are and
what our schedule is," says Michael.
He noted that even his appointment to
meet The Teleworker for this article
was on his schedule for the team to see.
Other traditional collaboration tools
keep the team connected too - e-mail,
conference calls, and mobile phones.
Michael calls these tools invaluable for
"quick huddles." They also make use of
Web-based meeting software when a
situation calls for a more structured
collaborative approach, with formal
presentations and virtual white board
capabilities.
A long-term fan and advocate of telework,
Michael has been working from home
for seven years with GSA. Before that,
he worked on telework policy at the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM). He
credits his GSA supervisor, Stan
Kaczmarczyk, for being a flexible
and supportive manager. "He is a senior
executive, and he teleworks too," says
Michael. "Our performance is measured
on the same criteria as others who do not
telework, and Stan has no issues with
our team’s teleworking arrangements.
We are easy to reach, our teamwork is
effective, and our customers are happy."
Working from home also has boosted
Michael’s confidence in technology -
a real benefit of teleworking that is not
so commonly mentioned. "When you’re
in the office and your computer is acting
quirky, your first reaction is to call the
Billy Michael’s Home/Mobile Office
- Laptop computer (provided by GSA)
with wireless card, for broadband
connectivity wherever he travels
- Cable modem for Internet
connectivity (provided by GSA)
- All-in-one printer/fax/scanner/
copier (personally owned)
- Landline telephone and second
phone line (personally owned)
- Mobile phone (provided by GSA)
- Consumable supplies
(provided by GSA)
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help desk," he says. "Then, you most
likely wait for someone to come fix
the problem - more productivity lost."
Michael says he has become more
savvy about troubleshooting and fixing
routine problems himself when they
arise. But he is quick to point out that
GSA’s help desk is a valuable resource
to the agency’s teleworkers, and that
he still relies on their expertise at times.
Ask Michael about the downsides to
telework, and he can only think of one.
"Files are taking over my house," he
laughs. "It’s more of a work style issue
than a teleworking issue. I tend to keep
everything. If you gave me a piece of
paper two years ago, I probably have
it here...somewhere."
See How It Works
If you want to see how Billy Michael’s
team accommodates teleworkers and
office workers alike, you can request
a copy of their CD, "Telework 2004:
The Future is Now," through
www.telework.gov. Click on "GSA
Telework Pages," and fill out the
CD order form. The video features
Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA),
GSA leaders, and, of course, several
teleworking GSA employees.
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