Interview with Lisa Schlosser, CIO, Department of Housing & Urban Development
For the U.S.
Department
of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), disaster
recovery operations increase the
demand for teleworking on two
fronts. First, many HUD workers
displaced during a disaster need to
work remotely until offices reopen.
Add to that the HUD inspectors and
examiners traveling to survey an
affected site, and the number of
employees teleworking spikes
dramatically.
Lisa Schlosser is the Chief
Information Officer (CIO) at HUD.
She notes, "There are two tiers of
teleworkers here. In that first tier are
the employees who participate in
HUD’s telework program. Our official
telework policy allows people to
work with their supervisors to set
up standard times when they can
work from their home. Our second
tier of teleworkers is the travelers.
The nature of our work makes us
a very mobile workforce."
The Gulf Coast hurricanes late last
year put that mobile workforce, and
HUD’s telework infrastructure, to
the test. Jereon Brown, Director of
Public Affairs, was at the disaster
scene just one week after Hurricane
Katrina obliterated the region. "I had
my handheld device and my laptop
computer, and that was all I needed
to be hooked into my office back in
Washington, D.C.," said Brown.
"With the Web-based access, it was
easy, and it was just like being at
my desk."
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HUD’s teleworking employees can
access HUD resources through two
avenues. A virtual private network
(VPN) allows remote workers to,
as Schlosser puts it, "press a
button and log on." Or, for the more
mobile workers, they can use the
Web-based telework access solution.
The latter requires a broadband
connection, and uses specialized
security software to allow access
to HUD networks via the Internet.
A teleworker logging in from home
has most likely been issued a
standard computer from Schlosser’s
office. And that computer has been
preconfigured with HUD tools and
resources - standard software and
automation tools, and security
applications allowing access through
a VPN. Traveling employees are
issued broadband wireless cards
connected to a laptop and a
handheld device.
Because she is the CIO, one expects
to see security at the top of her
list for teleworking concerns. Still,
Schlosser insists security is not the
barrier or risk it used to be. "Fear
of change and of introducing new
ways of doing business are the
main barriers to teleworking today,"
she says. Schlosser believes
government has addressed the
security concerns, and that
vendors are building security into
the products they sell. "If you invest
in the right technologies, you can
have a very secure teleworking
solution," Schlosser says.
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With a diverse teleworkforce, Schlosser
has instituted security assurances to
safeguard HUD information.
- All teleworkers must attend
annual security awareness training
- Employees working from home are
issued standard computers with
built-in security features for network
access using a VPN
- Once connected to the network, that
computer is automatically scanned for
viruses and the security software is
automatically updated as necessary
- Employees on travel telework via a
Web-based solution, with encryption
and advanced authentication
- To mitigate the risk of virus infection,
HUD has installed technology that
prevents teleworkers from accessing
third party e-mail sites or visiting any
site that has been deemed too
intrusive (cookies, known virus
promulgation, etc.)
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| Telework Goes Rural-USDA | View |
| USPTO Office Expands | View |
| Ask Dr. Telework | View |
| Federal Telework Increases | View |
| A Salute to those Working for Teleworking | View |
| Cure for Oil Addiction | View |
| Virtual Meeting Software | View |
| GSA Telework Dependent Care Study | View |
| TIGTA Telework Program | View |
| Three Cases for Better Productivity | View |
| Town Hall Meeting | View |
| "Virtual Carpooling" | View |
| Law to Protect Teleworkers | View |
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When many envision the average
teleworker, they generally think of
someone living in a congested
metropolitan area - trying to improve
their work-life balance by avoiding
arduous commutes in slow traffic.
Think again. Think rural.
In Michigan, there is a government
agency with leaders that believe
employees can better serve its
customers by being in the field -
sometimes literally. That agency
is the Michigan office of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Rural Development, an agency
dedicated to improving the lives
of Americans living in rural areas.
In 2004, the organization invested
$500 million into the economy
of rural Michigan.
To improve efficiency and better serve
its customers, the organization began
a teleworking program in 2005.
"By having our employees actually
working in the same areas where they
live, we can bring our programs closer
to the customers," noted Jason P.
Church, Acting State Director for
USDA Rural Development in Michigan.
Those programs include everything
from water lines and electric service
to business loans and community
empowerment initiatives. So, a
typical day for an employee of USDA
Rural Development can be varied,
but might include meetings with
realtors, banks, business and home
owners, or community
leaders. The key word
is "community" and
it is hard to service
a community if
you are nowhere
near it.
Today, Church
has 16 full time
teleworking
employees, most
working from a
home office
located within
rural Michigan.
This staffing
strategy has
saved time and money, as well as made
employees happier and
provided better customer
service. The teleworking
program also has helped improve
the organization’s efforts in
employee recruiting and retention.
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"We had one employee whose
service district was 180 miles away
from our office. Previously, she spent
two or three hours driving to meet
with clients, and then would have
to turn around and drive back to our
office. Now, she lives in the middle
of her assigned area and works from
home. She can easily and quickly
meet with any of her clients,"
says Church.
Because most teleworking employees
can take their assigned computer
home, the average cost to establish
a full time home office has been
relatively low. "We typically purchase
a multi-function printer, a cell phone,
Internet access, a dedicated
telephone line, and a few supplies,"
says Church. "The total cost has
been about $500 for the initial
office set up and $100 per month
in combined fees for connectivity
(mobile and office, telephone,
and Internet access)."
In addition, the department has seen
a savings in mileage reimbursements,
helping to offset some of the
recurring charges associated with
maintaining remote offices for these
employees. With some staff now
located near their rural assigned
regions, USDA Rural Development
avoids paying, in some cases,
considerable travel-related expenses.
To be considered for telework in
the organization, each candidate
must meet specified criteria. The
employee’s job must be one that
can be effectively performed outside
the office, and the employee’s home
office and geographic area must
have adequate technology available.
Individuals must demonstrate
motivation, independence, and
dependability. Each participant in
the telework program works with his
or her supervisor to define clear performance standards, and
participants must have
maintained a positive overall
performance rating for the last
three years.
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On the subject of performance, all
employees are graded on the same
criteria, regardless of work location.
Church says, "We gauge an
individual’s performance through
measurements that assess their
ability to increase the quality of life in
the areas they serve." He admits that
the burden of accountability for
teleworkers is somewhat shifted to
the managers, as they need to be
more attentive to offsite employees.
"It is important to keep the lines of
communication open and make sure
that teleworkers feel they are part of
the team," he says.
Church gives the telework program
two thumbs up across the board -
for employees, the agency, and the
customers served. Statistics already
show that telework is taking off in
urban and suburban areas. Perhaps
it’s time to gather some of that data
from rural America now, too.
The United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) plans to
add more than 1,000 patent
examiners to its ranks over each of
the next four years - yes, that is four
thousand new employees. Shunning
the traditional model of buying or
leasing new office space, the agency
is making telecommuting an option
for many employees in the Patent
Division.
Stewart Levy, Deputy Commissioner
of Patents, is excited about the
program’s contribution to improving
employee work-life balance, and the
boost it gives USPTO in efforts to
recruit and retain a qualified,
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motivated workforce. "If we’re putting
money into training and recruiting a
thousand people each year, and then
they find the commute is terrible,
they will leave," he says. "Offer them
the option to telecommute and the
cons of commuting are balanced with
the pros of working from home."
It’s true - imagine what might go
through the mind of a newly-recruited
USPTO employee driving to work that
first week. The Texas Transportation
Institute ranks the Washington, D.C.
area as number three in the nation
for traffic congestion. In the worst
spots, traffic creeps along at five to
ten miles per hour, according to a
study by the Metropolitan Washington
Council of Governments. Commuters
routinely spend three or four hours
each day in their cars. If that new
employee knows that telework soon
will be an option nearly every day of
the week, this program serves as a
strong incentive to stay with USPTO.
For now, eligibility is determined
primarily by seniority. Operated as a
hoteling program, telecommuters will
put most of their hours in at home,
but are required to come in once a
week. "They can spend anywhere from
one to 10 hours here that day," says
Levy. On that one day, employees will
use space that must be reserved in
advance. Performance plans are in
place for everyone, and the plans
measure productivity, timeliness,
quality, and customer service.
Aside from offering its examiners a
better work-life balance, the Patent
Division’s telecommuting program also
gives employees state-of-the-art
technology. "Our examiners are
engineers and scientists working with
huge files and detailed drawings," Levy
clarifies. To ensure examiners could
perform their duties seamlessly from
home, the technology behind the
telecommuting had to be cutting edge.
In the program’s initial year, USPTO
will provide its telecommuters all
necessary equipment - a laptop with
docking station, multi-function printer,
flat panel monitor, mouse and
keyboard, wireless router, Web
camera, and Internet phone system.
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Along with the hardware comes all
the software - from Microsoft and
anti-virus applications to virtual
private network (VPN) software and
secure access to internal systems.
The job often requires quite a bit
of team interaction, including
collaboration between examiners and
their supervisors or other USPTO
employees. The collaboration piece
of patent examination is critical.
"We now have a signed agreement
with Nortel Networks to use their
collaboration system, and it is the
first integrated package we have
come across," notes Levy. "This set
up allows one-on-one Web camera
conferencing and whiteboarding -
these are the kinds of critical
interactions our employees need
to do their jobs."
Security concerns? Levy assures
that security is always top of mind,
especially given the confidential
nature of the data reviewed by in the
Patent Division. Still, he is quick to
say that USPTO has mitigated a high
degree of potential risk involved.
"Everything goes through our VPN,
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and it’s encrypted
on both ends."
Testing has been
extensive, with 300
managers testing the
system for nearly
eight months. He has
advice to offer others
considering a
telework program:
"Security cannot be
an add-on. You have
to integrate it into your system design
from the very beginning."
The Patent Division has been
fortunate to have support, and
lessons learned, from the Trademark
side of the house. USPTO was one
of the first Federal agencies to
challenge the traditional five-days-a-week
commute to work. The
Trademark Division started its
telework program in 1997 with just
18 participants. Today, telework is an
integral part of Trademark operations,
and the organization is trying to
extend the telework option to all
eligible positions.
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Federal telework is accelerating at an
unprecedented pace, with 41 percent
of Federal employees indicating that
they currently telework in some
fashion, according to the second
annual CDW-G Federal Telework
Report. More impressive, 43 percent
report that they have started
teleworking in the last year. Just 19
percent of Federal employees said
they teleworked in 2005.
These are encouraging numbers
for advocates who have long been
pushing the benefits of telework.
"Federal agencies and IT professionals
are aggressively responding to the
telework mandate," said Max
Peterson, Vice President of CDW-G
for Federal.
The report, released in March,
shows that Federal IT professionals
are leading the charge to empower
teleworkers. Thirty-two percent of
responding IT professionals say their
agency has started or expanded a
telework program in the last year.
Moreover, 28 percent of responding
Federal IT professionals indicate
that their agency now supports 100
percent of eligible teleworkers -
up from just 5 percent in the same
survey one year ago.
Fifty-four percent of Federal IT
professionals believe information
security still is the No. 1 challenge
in implementing enterprise-wide
telework programs; however, only
six percent maintain that Federal
telework requirements hamper
compliance with the Federal
Information Security Management
Act (FISMA). The study suggests an
opportunity to further educate IT
professionals on how FISMA relates
to telework, and encourages agencies
to share lessons learned in designing
telework solutions that meet IT
security requirements.
The study also examines telework’s
impact on Continuity of Operations
(COOP) planning, the types of IT
support offered to those working
remotely, and much more.
View the full report at:
www.cdwg.com/telework.
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As telework gains a greater foothold
in the government workplace, some
of that progress should be attributed
to trade associations and other
organizations advocating for
alternatives to the five-days-a-week
traditional commuting model.
Here, we offer a glimpse into three
organizations taking a proactive
approach to promoting telework.
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Dedicated to the Mid-Atlantic United
States region, MATAC promotes the
understanding, development, and
expansion of telework across the
public and private sectors. Its
members are businesses, individuals,
non-profit organizations, and
representatives from local, state,
and Federal government agencies.
MATAC started as a regional
chapter of the International Telework
Advisory Council (now the Telework
Advisory Group for WorldatWork.
With the severe traffic congestion in
the Washington, D.C. area and along
much of the East Coast, MATAC is
determined to help advance telework
as part of the solution. Since the
mid-1990s, MATAC has provided
educational and collaborative learning
opportunities for seasoned telework
professionals and newcomers to
the concept.
The organization recently elected
a new president, Jennifer Thomas
Alcott, who also manages three of the
GSA-funded Federal Telework Centers
along the I-95 corridor in Virginia.
With Alcott at the helm, watch for
this organization to get busier.
(For more information on MATAC
members and activities, see
www.midatlantictelework.org)
As far back as September 2001,
leaders at ITAA have encouraged the
government to expand its teleworking
capacity. In a 2001 hearing, the
association’s President testified in
front of the U.S. House Committee on
Government Reform that the Federal
government must support teleworking,
especially, at that time, to retain
human capital as workers left the
public sector to enjoy better benefits
in industry. Today, the benefits of
telework extend far beyond a more
attractive employment offer.
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ITAA is a trade organization focused
on technology - from public policy
and procurement to e-commerce and
security. As such, ITAA is a powerful
voice in favor of breaking through
barriers that might impede telework
progress. Of particular note, the
advent and promulgation of
residential broadband Internet
connections have been a significant
contributor to breaking down barriers
to teleworking, according to ITAA.
"Broadband-supported technology is
stretching the possibilities of remote
interaction in unforeseen directions,"
says Mark Uncapher, ITAA Senior Vice
President and Counsel. There has
been an increase in the types of jobs
that can be accomplished remotely.
Now it is not just software
developers writing code from home,
but call center workers, database
administrators, and senior program
managers can perform many of
their tasks away from the office.
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The technology exists to connect
multiple members of a team, route
calls, collaborate across desktops,
and monitor network performance -
in and out of the office building.
For those concerned about managing
employee job performance, ITAA’s
Uncapher says that jobs eligible
for teleworking become "less about
visually managing work flows and
monitoring employee activity, and
more about enabling specific
outcomes."
(For more information about ITAA’s
support to teleworkers across
government, see www.itaa.org)
Commuter Connections is a popular
and well-known program in the
metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.
Sponsored by the MWCOG’s National
Capital Region Transportation
Planning Board, Commuter
Connections helps area commuters
find economical and efficient ways to
get to and from work - car and van
pools, various rail
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options, company-and
agency-sponsored reimbursement plans, a "guaranteed
ride home" plan, and more.
The organization started measuring
the level of teleworking in the mid-1990s,
and every three years it
conducts a survey and publishes
its findings in a report called
"The State of the Commute." This
comprehensive survey queries 600
commuters per jurisdiction, or about
7,200 households in the Washington,
D.C. area. According to Nicholas
Ramfos, Director of Commuter
Connections, "Nearly 13% of those
surveyed telework one day a week
or more. It is the fastest growing
sector for alternative commuting,
and we want to promote it more
aggressively." To do that, Ramfos
is working with area companies and
government agencies to develop
new telework programs and expand
existing ones.
"We found that, while there are many
telework programs out there, many
of them were fragmented, operating
department by department rather
than agency-wide," says Ramfos.
"To convince the decision makers,
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As President Bush said in his State
of the Union address on January 31,
"Americans are addicted to oil."
In this regard, Bush restated his
commitment to reduce American
dependence on foreign oil by
promoting the research of alternative
fuel sources. A new study by the
Telework Exchange offers telework as
"the other fuel." Telework creates a
viable, and inexpensive, conservation
opportunity in support of this
important national goal.
The study, "A Barrel Saved is a Barrel
Earned," reveals that the Federal
government workforce consumes
31.1 million gallons of gasoline and
the total U.S. white-collar workforce
burns more than 583.3 million
gallons weekly on commuting alone.
The study goes on to show that, by
teleworking just two days per week,
the U.S. Government and white-collar
workforce has the potential to
conserve 11.67 billion gallons of
gasoline per year, or 233.3 million
gallons per week. This amount could
deliver annual fuel conservation
equivalent to more than 27 percent of
the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
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"The best way to reduce gasoline
consumption and dependence is
to drive less," said Stephen W.T.
O’Keeffe, Executive Director of the
Telework Exchange. "We must focus
our attention on the largely untapped
resource of telework as an alternative
fuel to the economy."
The study concludes with a mandate
to the American workforce to
seriously consider telework as a
viable option. Telework is available
today to address the national
gasoline addiction with no research
and development requirement.
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For organizations still wary of the
inherently remote aspect of telework,
virtual meeting technology (or
desktop collaboration) may just quell
those fears. Government agencies
and departments that entail frequent
face-to-face meetings, whiteboard
sessions, or team document reviews
can put telework back on the radar.
"If people can instantaneously talk
face-to-face via the computer, then
this technology helps make telework
a more acceptable option in
government," says Linda Whitmer,
Director of the NetTech Center in
Winchester, Virginia. This center, just
72 miles west of Washington, D.C.,
opened in 1993 as the first GSA-funded
Federal Telework Center.
Today, its customers include Federal
government and commercial
teleworkers, but Whitmer says
"government gets priority, and
they’re our number one customer."
A couple of years ago, Whitmer
worked with the Telework Consortium,
a non-profit advocacy group, to test
several products that offer online
collaborative functions. Whitmer
is adamant about clarifying the
difference between videoconferencing
and virtual meetings. "For most,
videoconferencing conjures up
notions of scheduling a room, a time,
and several people. Virtual meetings
are no different that sticking your
head in the office next door."
Today’s technology and high-speed
Internet connections make it possible
to easily request a quick chat with
a co-worker, click an icon on your
desktop, and talk with that person
face-to-face on your computer
screen. TANDBERG is one company
offering what it terms "anytime face-to-
face communication." "Being able
to see people on the screen adds
a level of understanding and sharing
that can’t be achieved via phone,
e-mail or fax communications,"
says Erik Werner, Federal Sales
Engineering Manager at TANDBERG.
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Aside from face time with teammates,
desktop collaboration software makes
is possible to connect entire project
teams in one virtual space. Once
connected, that team can follow a
posted agenda and share ideas -
both verbal and written. In most
collaboration packages, everyone sees
the same document on their screens
simultaneously. To comment on a
specific section, a participant puts their
cursor over that area and holds down
their mouse button. Everyone can see
the changes recommended, and who
is recommending them.
"The document sharing can work
on any program that everyone is
sharing," states Whitmer. "Engineers
using Computer Assisted Design (CAD)
software love the fact you can point out
something on a schematic. Previously,
they had to give map-like directions
like ‘go two inches in from the left.’"
Whitmer goes as far as saying this
technology can be more effective than
traditional in-room meetings. "By the
time your virtual meeting is over,
you have a completed document in
real-time. This approach does not
require five people sitting in a room,
with one person taking notes and tasked
with incorporating comments later."
This type of technology is available
at different cost and usage levels,
depending on an organizations’
requirements.
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An organization can
choose to buy virtual meeting time by
the minute or hour, having participants
access an Internet-based meeting
service hosted by a third party vendor
just minutes before the meeting time.
For organizations requiring frequent
meetings and collaboration, networked
packages with concurrent user licensing
are probably a good investment. Aside
from the software, Whitmer advises
that users will need a headset and a
Web camera, both of which can be
purchased for under $100.
Are there security risks with
this technology? According to
TANDBERG’s Werner, "Any time
remote locations connect back to
the home office there are security
risks. These risks, however, are greatly
reduced by the use of technologies
such as virtual private networks,
encryption, security policies and
procedures, and the use of appliance-based
hardware tailored for specific
applications." He adds that, while
most collaboration software is
PC- and Web-based, the TANDBERG
solution further reduces risk because
it is hardware-based.
For government organizations hesitant
to implement a telework program
because it will reduce face time and
team collaboration, this is all good
news. Project teams still can work
together collaboratively, in real-time,
face-to-face - from home, a telework
center, or other remote location -
productive and happy to have avoided
a lengthy commute.
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The U.S. General Services
Administration (GSA) has long been
an advocate for telework. In an effort
to dispel speculation about how
dependent care affects Federal
home-based telework, GSA
conducted a recent study to gather
empirical data on the topic.
According to its preliminary report,
GSA recruited 27 agencies and sub-agencies
to have teleworking
employees complete an online
survey. Respondents included 863
Federal teleworkers with dependent
care responsibilities. The majority of
respondents were female (73
percent), are 31 to 59 years old, and
most had one (53 percent) or two
(28 percent) dependents. The
majority of the dependents (81
percent) were children. Following is
an outline of the key findings.
Dr. Wendell Joice is Director of
Innovative Workplaces at GSA, and
he is pleased with the study’s initial
findings. "The results from this study
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Based on these findings, GSA is
making the following preliminary
recommendations to Federal
government executives:
- Clarify the appropriate role that
telework can play in balancing
work and dependent care
- Promote top-down support to
dispel the anxiety and sensitivity
associated with the proper use
of telework as a dependent
care solution
- Offer top-down support to help
managers and policy makers
accept and promote the work-life
balance (work and dependent care)
potential of telework
- Promote the consequent benefit
to the agency, as well as to the
teleworker and their dependents
- Develop telework policies to
address the use and usefulness
of telework in assisting with
dependent care situations.
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provide a solid first step toward a
fruitful dialogue and constructive
action in the interest of work-life
balance. I am confident that the
findings will bolster efforts by human
resources policymakers to take
advantage of the work-life benefits
identified in the report. Telework can
be a significant help to employee
dependent care needs without
diminishing job performance."
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GSA conducted a separate
study in 2003, called
"Telework in the Federal
Workplace: Dependent Care
Study," that focused solely
on employees using Federal
telework centers. The
agency plans to release a
final, formal report covering
both dependent care
studies in the near future.
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Any agency that can show that 96
percent of its employees are eligible
to participate in its telework program
deserves to boast. The Treasury
Inspector General for Tax
Administration (TIGTA) has earned
that right.
Of its 845 employees, 750 telework
at least part-time. And it all started
with a task force formed to explore
what the office of the future might
look like. That task force, established
in 2001, concluded that the office of
the future was not an office at all.
According to Joseph Hungate, CIO at
TIGTA, the group said, "It is about
empowered employees able to work
anywhere, anytime."
With that recommendation in hand,
TIGTA kicked off a pilot telework
program in four offices -
Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, and
Phoenix - two offices focused on
audits, and two others on
investigations. According to Hungate,
TIGTA practically "made" people
telework to test the concept. "They
all had to keep daily logs of activities
and equipment use." The pilot was
intended to run nine months, but
TIGTA declared success mid-project
and rolled the program out
organization-wide in 2002. "Those
initial people somewhat forced into
the pilot all asked to stay in the
program," says Hungate.
One key to the agency’s success is
the agreement drawn up and signed
by managers and teleworkers. This
formal agreement spells out the
details that help make managers
more comfortable with the telework
concept - how many days per week
each employee will telework, where
the work will take place, the work
schedule, and more. It even includes
a document signed by the employee
that assures the home office is
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compliant with regulations
established by the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration
(OSHA).
Donna Leach, TIGTA’s Telework
Program Manager, says, "We
structured the entire telework
program to provide a comfort level to
managers, but also to help
employees understand management
expectations." The agency has an
advantage in that its products and
services are extremely measurable;
hence, so is employee performance.
Hungate says, "We are very product-and
results-driven. We produce audits
and investigative reports, and our
agency’s performance is measured,
among other things, on how many we
produce, and how well we do it."
If employee satisfaction is a measure
of agency success, then TIGTA is
tops. In a recent internal survey
conducted by the agency, 76 percent
of employees stated they were
satisfied with TIGTA as a place to
work. In the 2005 "Best Places to
Work in the Federal Government"
survey, TIGTA was rated number one
in "pay and benefits" at the Federal
subcomponent level. (See the full
survey at http://bestplacestowork.org).
Depending on the level of
participation - one to five days a
week - TIGTA provides teleworkers
with the required office equipment.
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All employees are given a laptop,
regardless of their telework status;
but full-time teleworkers also receive
a laptop, printer, router,
reimbursement for broadband
Internet connectivity, a second phone
line, and a locking file cabinet. TIGTA
pays for the installation of the
broadband and half of the monthly
service fees. Those who telework less
than full-time (two days per week or
less) get at least a router and
reimbursement for broadband service.
Set up costs are roughly $350
per teleworker, excluding laptop
cost. Maintenance equates to
approximately $48 per person
annually, and covers the virtual
private network access. Broadband
costs total less than $100,000
per year for all 750 teleworkers.
While Leach cannot offer true savings
numbers, she is quick to point out
the large cost avoidance gained
through the telework program. "In
Atlanta, our rent went up significantly,
but through our hoteling policy of
sharing office space, we avoided that
extra rent cost because we required
less office space."
Hungate estimates that, through
releasing leased office space, TIGTA
may have saved $500,000. He
demonstrates the cost avoidance
angle too. "We were busting out of
our Washington, D.C. building and
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were thinking about renting new
space that would have cost about
$750,000 annually. Through hoteling
and our telework program, we were
able to avoid incurring those
additional real estate costs."
There are other anecdotal savings that
stem from the telework program. Lower
attrition rates mean less costs dedicated
to hiring and training.
And, what price do you put on smart,
loyal and productive employees?
That same internal survey mentioned
above showed 58 percent
of TIGTA employees
cite telework
options as a
strong reason for
staying with the
organization.
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"When I finally took a break from
writing, six hours had passed."
Kathryn Kadilak, Worklife Program
Manager for the Department of
Justice (DOJ), is recounting one
of the many occasions when
teleworking proved invaluable.
"In an office setting, you just don’t
get that stretch of uninterrupted time
to focus on a task."
In this particular instance, Kadilak
had been working on a critical
briefing for the Deputy Assistant
Attorney General for Human
Resources - and it is no coincidence
that the briefing included telework.
She has been teleworking for 11
years, and says her flexible work
schedule is a key factor in her
success with career and family.
Kadilak is an active advocate for
telework, and believes it can improve
the quality of life and
work for many Federal employees.
Also working in the DOJ, Robin
Delany-Shabazz is Director,
Concentration of Federal Efforts,
Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, in the Office
of Justice Programs (OJP). With DOJ
11 years, she has been teleworking
for eight years. And, although she
lives only 16 miles from her office,
the commute is an agonizing 90
minutes each way. "My jobs
within DOJ have been conducive
to telework, since most of my
communications are with people
outside my office. Whether I am in
the office or working from home, it is
transparent and immaterial to my
colleagues."
Kathleen Devine, a Senior Trial
Attorney with the DOJ, echoes
Kadilak’s sentiments. "By far, the best
benefit of teleworking is that I really
can concentrate uninterrupted for
hours on end, and this is important
when I am writing a brief or preparing
for depositions," says Devine. "I am
much more productive on the days I
telecommute." She has been
teleworking for almost eight years.
Aside from a lack of interruptions,
Kadilak and Devine cite two other
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reasons for their increased
productivity while teleworking: more
hours allotted to the work, and more
energy to put toward it.
On the two days each week that
Kadilak makes the commute into her
Washington, D.C. office, three hours
of each day are spent in traffic.
Devine, who drives to the office three
times per week, spends nearly eight
hours each week in traffic. Both
Justice employees say they prefer the
days working from home when all of
their time can be invested in getting
work done, not on commuting.
Avoiding the lengthy commute also
puts an extra bit of strength and vigor
into your workday, according to
Kadilak and Devine. "Without the
strain of a challenging commute, I
am more rested and, ultimately, in
better health," says Kadilak. "My
work is of a higher quality and is
produced on time or in advance of
deadlines." Her performance reviews
prove the point: "Over the past many
years of teleworking, I have
consistently received outstanding
performance ratings and awards."
All three of these DOJ employees
illustrate how telework can improve
quality of life, which makes a happier,
more loyal, and fulfilled worker.
Kadilak finds herself more involved in
her children’s school, church, and
community - especially on those
days when she avoids a lengthy and
unproductive commute. Delany-Shabazz
adds that "meeting with a
teacher doesn’t mean taking a day
off work." Devine notes that a
doctor’s appointment, whether for
herself or a child, no longer means
missing half of a work day or more. It
is a similar success story for snow
days and school or office closings,
when many workers find themselves
having to take leave.
Delany-Shabazz is insistent on
including the benefits to the agency
as well. "Because I have chosen to
remain employed by my organization,
the agency has retained a
knowledgeable and competent
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employee. The flexible working
arrangements have been a primary
factor in the length of my tenure with
OJP, particularly through the
turbulence and change of the last
several years."
The increased productivity is an
undoubted benefit to both employee
and employer. But many teleworkers
consider their ability to work away
from the office a true job perk.
Kadilak counts telework as part of her
"compensation and benefits"
package as a DOJ employee. She
notes, "I actually have turned down
job offers elsewhere that would have
offered higher pay, due to their
inability to match my telework
arrangement with the
Federal government."
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Debbie Cohn, Deputy Commissioner
for Trademark Operations,
spearheaded that initial 1997
program. "Sure we had some
skeptics, but the proof was in the
pudding," she says. The secret to her
success: measurable performance
standards. "We showed managers
that you can measure an employee’s
performance without seeing that
person every day."
Just as Levy learned from Cohn, she
is closely watching his program as
well. "We’re phasing in laptops now,
and we’ve incorporated a technical
training session similar to the Patent
Division program," she notes. When
the Trademark telecommuting
program began, bandwidth was a
huge technical issue and laptops
were not an option. Technicians were
sent to each teleworker’s home for
installation and troubleshooting. With
the advances in laptop capabilities,
we now are able to move away from
desktop computers and avoid the
expense of home installation and
trouble-shooting.
Much like the program on the Patent
side, Trademark teleworkers work
from home most of the time and are
required to come into the office once
a week. "We have various programs
that suit different organizations and
job roles," says Cohn. The Examining
Attorney Program supports 220
teleworkers. At present, most
managers can telework only one
day per week.
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For nearly 10 years, USPTO has
paved an innovative path for
telecommuting. The agency has one
of the oldest and most successful
telecommuting programs under its
belt, and intends to expand its
telecommuting initiative in the future.
"The work done by Patents and
Trademarks easily lends itself to
telecommuting. Subsequently, the
agency has adopted this initiative as
a strategy to improve enterprise-wide
business processes," stated Danette
Campbell, Telecommuting Coordinator
for USPTO. USPTO is a wealth of
knowledge for other government
organizations looking to improve the
work-life balance of its employees.
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we have to show them the metrics
on how telework improves retention,
recruitment, performance, and
work-life balance for the entire
organization." Add in the benefits to
the environment, and it is not a hard
case to sell.
Originated 40 years ago, the MWCOG
is a non-profit organization comprised
of 19 local governments surrounding
the nation’s capital, plus area
members of the Maryland and Virginia
legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the
U.S. House of Representatives.
(For more information about
Commuter Connections’ support to
teleworkers across government, see
www.commuterconnections.org or
www.mwcog.org)
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The Telework Exchange, the publisher
of The Teleworker, will host a Town
Hall Meeting on Thursday, June 15,
2006 at the Ronald Reagan Building
in Washington, D.C. You are invited
to take part in a series of lively
discussions with a diverse set of
stakeholders - from legislators and
agency telework advocates, to
government telework managers and
affiliated organizations.
Hear about ongoing efforts to
promote and establish telework as
standard operating procedure across
the Federal government - current
mandates and policies, forward-thinking
legislation, and existing
telework programs. Gain valuable
insight from successful telework
initiatives, as well as those managing
and participating in those initiatives.
Ask questions, voice concerns, make
suggestions - become an active
member of the telework community.
For more information, please visit
www.teleworkexchange.com/
townhallmeeting
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The Telework Exchange is launching a
new membership rewards program.
Called "Virtual Carpooling: Members
Get Members," the monthly program
tallies the number of new
registrations referred by Telework
Exchange members. The top 10
members who refer the most
colleagues to register with the
Telework Exchange each month will
be recognized for their contribution
and receive an official Telework
Exchange t-shirt as a token of thanks
for encouraging telework. In addition,
the individual who refers the most
government employees to register will
be named the "Telework Champion
for the Month" and will be profiled on
www.teleworkexchange.com.
Refer your co-workers, colleagues,
and commuting partners to register
with the Telework Exchange at
www.teleworkexchange.com. We look
forward to featuring you in the
"Virtual Carpooling: Members Get
Members" program.
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If you live in one state and work for
a New York-based company, but
telecommute from home nearly 75
percent of the time, should you pay
New York state taxes on 100 percent
of your income? Worst case scenario:
you may be paying double state
taxes. "Only slightly better" case
scenario: your home state may grant
you a credit for the taxes you paid
New York on non-New York income,
but you still may end up paying
New York’s much higher tax rate.
For those who rely on, and support,
teleworking, this seems skewed and
unfair. But it is happening in some
states - and New York is especially
aggressive in its pursuit of this
usually un-enforced provision of
the state tax code called the
"convenience of the employer" rule.
More than a hypothetical, a recent
case, Huckaby V. New York State
Division of Tax Appeals, is not only
real, but also was turned down in
October for review by the Supreme
Court.
Still, many lawmakers understand
that this is not a time to discourage
teleworking. Senators Chris Dodd
(D-CT) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)
and Representatives Christopher
Shays (R-CT), Tom Davis (R-VA), and
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have introduced
The Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act
(S. 1097, H.R. 2558), a bipartisan
measure that would eliminate the
competing states income tax rule.
Telework organizations endorsing the
bill now include the Telework
Coalition, ITAC (The Telework Advisory
Group for WorldatWork), Telework
Exchange, and the Association for
Commuter Transportation.
The Teleworker will continue to keep
its readers up to date on this bill,
and members of the Telework
Exchange - and anyone currently
teleworking or considering the option
- are encouraged to contact your
Senators and Representatives to
express your support of the
Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act.
To track this legislation, visit
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/
bill.xpd?bill
=s109-1097.
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