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Some 200 qualified government and
industry leaders gathered on June 15th in
Washington, D.C. for the first Telework
Exchange Town Hall Meeting. Attendees
were eager to learn more about government
telework programs, available technologies,
governing regulations, and best practices
from a range of agencies, not-for-profit
organizations, and private sector partners.
The Town Hall Meeting agenda addressed
an array of hot topics for telework managers
and teleworkers, from Continuity of
Operations (COOP) planning to working
implementations and enabling technology.
The Town Hall Meeting also hosted the
2006 Tele-Vision Awards, with recognition of
five leading government telework programs
(for more details, see below).
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The Town Hall Meeting featured
two viewpoints on telework from
Department of Defense
organizations: Mark Fuhring,
Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for
Personnel, United States Army
Communications Electronics
Lifecycle Management Command
located at Fort Monmouth, New
Jersey; and Jack Penkoske, Director
of Manpower, Personnel, and
Security at the Defense Information
Systems Agency (DISA), based in
Arlington, Virginia.
Each spoke about
the role telework
is expected to
play during their
organizational
transitions called
for by the 2005
Defense Base
Closure and
Realignment
Commission
Report
(http://www.brac.gov).
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Both Fuhring and Penkoske
discussed how telework can and will
be an effective tool to help ensure
mission continuity during BRAC
transitions, scheduled for completion
in 2010. Penkoske’s organization is
relocating its headquarters to Fort
Meade, Maryland, yet 75 percent
of current DISA headquarters’
employees live in Northern Virginia.
He reported DISA has a major
initiative underway to educate the
workforce on telework options.
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A study by the General Services
Administration (GSA) shows that,
while it will require planning and
resources, providing a widespread
telework infrastructure across the
Federal government is worth the
investment. To quote the study,
"the potential benefits are farreaching
and cost beneficial."
Theresa Noll, Senior Telework
Program Analyst, Office of
Governmentwide Policy, GSA,
presented the Telework Technology
Cost Study at the recent Telework
Exchange Town Hall Meeting held
in Washington, D.C. on June 15.
Explaining one of the study’s
business cases, Noll said,
"Implementing a basic teleworkat-
home solution for 50,000
employees at an agency with
100,000 staff at a three-year cost
of $16 million can yield more than
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By Denise Kearns, Environmental Protection
Specialist, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Telework is rapidly emerging as a new
strategy in Federal plans to prepare
for everything from terrorist attacks to
deadly viruses. As a result, many
agencies are updating their existing
telework policies and programs.
Telework not only provides managers
with a tool to improve worker
productivity and workplace flexibility,
it also is a means for agencies to
ensure the continuity of essential
government operations in times of
emergency.
Best Workplaces for CommutersSM
(BWC) is a voluntary partnership
program between the United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Department of
Transportation (DOT) that recognizes
these agencies and other employers
for providing outstanding commuter
benefits to their employees.
Nearly 75 Federal agency worksites
and 65 state and local worksites
already participate and have received
the BWC designation. In addition to
gaining national recognition, these
agencies are offered networking
opportunities and technical
assistance on a range of commuter
issues, including telework.
To participate and achieve the BWC
designation, public agencies and
other employers first must meet a
National Standard of Excellence
(NSE), which includes offering at
least one of the following "primary"
commute benefits:
1. Telework arrangements that reduce
commute trips by at
least six percent at a specified
worksite, or
2. A transit or vanpool subsidy
worth at least $30/month, or
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3. A parking cash-out option
worth at least $30/month
In addition to a primary benefit, BWC
employers also offer three or more
"supporting" benefits. Some of these
supporting options include onsite
amenities, flexible schedules, as well
as information on carpools and
vanpools. Telework and other
alternative workplace arrangements
also qualify as supporting benefits
when offered to a limited number of
employees as an option, yet the six
percent reduction in employee
commute trips cannot be achieved.
The majority of Federal agencies that
participate as BWCs include telework
as one of their supporting benefits,
as do about half of participating state
and local agencies. For these
agencies, telework is used for a
number of reasons, all of which align
with the goals of BWC.
"At the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), we’ve developed
a range of workplace options that
over time has really made a
difference in our organization," said
Marge Adams, a USDA Work/Life
Manager based in Washington, D.C.
"Every year we see an increase in the
number of employees who telework,
use transit, or drive in together as
part of a vanpool."
Improved workplace productivity,
healthy community relations, and
strong employee recruitment and
retention rates are among the key
benefits Adams has observed.
She emphasizes the need
to highlight these
benefits when working
with USDA managers
to adopt innovative
employee commute
options, including
teleworking.
Brooke Brewer, Director, Office of
Work/Life and Benefits Programs with
the U.S. Department of Labor agrees.
The Department of Labor is in the
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process of increasing awareness of
telework policies and programs.
Like USDA, the Labor Department
qualifies as a BWC given its strong
transit program and because it offers
a telework option.
Brewer believes that alternative
workplace arrangements, including
telework, are gaining tremendous
momentum, and that in the future
they will play a greater role in
determining how the Federal
workforce is managed.
"Right now telework is a critical
flexibility (among Federal agencies)
because it can help us strengthen and
build effective Continuity of Operations
(COOP) and Pandemic Flu plans," said
Brewer. "I suspect that our capabilities
in this arena will be heavily tested over
the next several months, and for many
years to come."
"As managers receive education and
training, and the value of telework is
demonstrated, it won’t be long before
telework becomes more prevalent in
the Federal workforce - and not just
as a means to address security
threats, but also because we will
come to see that it provides us with
a flexible, more productive workforce,
cleaner air, and reduced congestion,"
said Brewer.
For the EPA and DOT, this will mean
their BWC program will have moved
towards achieving its goals of
providing employees with more
flexible, productive, and satisfactory
work arrangements.
For more information about the Best
Workplaces for Commuters program,
visit www.bwc.gov
or contact Jeffra Rockwell at
(734) 214-4401.
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In an ongoing effort to educate the
public about the savings and benefits
of telework, Telework Exchange has
rolled out a campaign called "Time is
Money, and Money Doesn’t Grow on
Trees." The innovative campaign
places "money trees" at busy
intersections in Washington, D.C. and
allows people to pick telework dollars
from its branches and talk to a host
of telework experts.
The first trees took root at the corner
of 7th and D Streets, Southwest at
crowded L’Enfant Plaza and just
outside the Department of Housing
and Urban Development
headquarters. The second promotion,
underwritten by TANDBERG, took
place on August 16 at the corner of
13th Street and Pennsylvania
Avenue. Throngs of people visited the
trees to pick some valuable green
from its branches and learn about
how they could save money (for
themselves and their agency)
by teleworking just one or two days each week.
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More money trees are in the works,
and Telework Exchange is asking its
members to visit the Web site
(www.teleworkexchange.com) and
vote for the next location. Stephen
W.T. O’Keeffe, Executive Director of
Telework Exchange, says "Consider
gas price hikes, D.C.’s traffic gridlock,
and concerns on global warming -
telework is the answer. It’s time to
put telework into drive."
The 2006 "Tele-Vision" Awards were
presented at the June 15 Telework
Exchange Town Hall Meeting. Five
government organizations were
selected by an independent panel of
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judges and recognized for excellence
in telework program implementation.
One winning telework program was
selected for each of the categories
noted below. For more information on
these telework programs, and on the
Tele-Vision Awards, see
www.teleworkexchange.com.
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Telecommuting Program
TIGTA’s telecommuting program, in
place for more than five years, allows
employees nationwide to work from
alternate locations to conduct audits
of Internal Revenue Service programs
and systems and to investigate waste,
fraud, and abuse. TIGTA is a
recognized leader among Federal
agencies and has incorporated
telework as an integral part of its
business continuity strategy. TIGTA
has overcome program challenges
with a comprehensive network of
technical, human resources, and
senior management support.
Currently, 95 percent of TIGTA’s 840
employees are eligible to telework,
and 740 participate in the program,
with nearly half teleworking two or
more days each week.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC),Telework Program
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The FDIC’s voluntary telework
program offers a suite of remote
access services, including a Remote
Client Network (RCN), a Virtual
Private Network (VPN), and a dial-up
service. Recently, the FDIC rolled out
a token-based system that delivers all
FDIC employees secure remote
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Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), Flights Standards, Western
Pacific Region, San Francisco
International Field Office
The FAA Flight Standards conducts Air
Carrier/Repair Station certification
and surveillance on 94 entities in the
Asia Pacific region, and is responsible
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access from any computer with
Internet access and a Web browser.
The Web Enabled Remote Client
Network (WebRCN) makes is possible
for every eligible FDIC employee with
access to a computer to participate
in the Telework Program. In 2005,
more than 2,300 FDIC employees
participated in the program, working
a combined total of more than
266,000 hours.
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for issuing foreign organizations FAA
certificates to work on U.S. aircraft
and products. Telework is being used
for inspectors working with operators
nationwide. In October 2005, the
organization built an interactive Web
site based on the FAA Knowledge
Services Network (KSN) to manage
virtual office operation. This
information-sharing Web site
enhances employee and industry
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communications as well as tracks
costs, approvals, inspector contacts,
projects, and tasks.
United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO),
Trademark Work at Home Program
The Trademark Work at Home is a
comprehensive program involving
more than 220 employees (80
percent of eligible examining
attorneys) who spend the majority of
their workweek at home and share
office space through a hoteling
arrangement. Each employee is
provided with the necessary
equipment for secure remote access
to the agency’s network, and
automated systems enable users to
perform all of their trademark
examination duties electronically. By
incorporating measurable
performance goals in the evaluation
of worker performance, the
Trademark office has created a model
of an extremely successful
telecommuting program for
government agencies.
Arizona Department of
Administration, State of Arizona
Telework Program
An Arizona State Executive Order
mandated telework, with the goal of
having 20 percent of the 21,000
state employees in Maricopa County
actively participate. Today, 3,700
employees, or more than 17 percent
of the state workforce in Maricopa
County, are teleworkers. Current
estimates show that state teleworkers
drive 4.5 million fewer miles annually,
generate 75 fewer tons of air
pollution, and endure 155,000 fewer
hours of stressful driving time. With
an employee replacement cost of
$50 million per year, the telework
program delivers significant potential
savings to Arizona taxpayers, as a
meaningful factor in the retention of
qualified employees.
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Ask Joyce Twohig Larrick why her
Federal Telework Center is so
successful, and she answers with
an emphatic, "Teamwork and
community partnerships." Larrick
is Director of the Bowie State
University Telecommuting Center,
which currently is operating at 92
percent capacity.
For that "nearly full" status, she
credits not just her staff, but also the
teleworkers themselves. "They are
our biggest advertisers," she says.
"They truly understand and
appreciate the benefits of
teleworking, and they are flexible,
motivated, and productive." It is not
difficult to see why these teleworkers
are appreciative. This particular
Center comes with all the perks of a
full university campus.
The MARC train runs right through the
campus, making it easy for Baltimore
residents to telework rather than
commute to their Federal jobs in and
around Washington, D.C. Teleworkers
can get their exercise with a run on
the University’s track or a swim in the
pool. There are plenty of options for
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lunch at the cafeterias, and
teleworkers can borrow a great book
from the shelves - the Telework
Center is located inside the campus
library.
"There is no doubt that the collegial
atmosphere is a selling point," says
Larrick. "You can network with your
peers and eat lunch with co-workers,
yet avoid all the normal office
politics." Dr. Marion Harris, BSU’s
Acting Vice President for
Administration and Finance, said
"The Center is an invaluable
productivity resource to its users,
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and illustrates Bowie State
University’s role as a leader in
workplace innovation, and a
community partner in addressing the
professional needs of its community."
A long-time resident of Bowie,
Maryland, Larrick knows her way
around the community and its various
organizations. She is passionate
about teleworking and is an active
advocate in the Greater Bowie and
Baltimore/Washington Chambers of
Commerce, and she is a founding
member of the Bowie Chamber’s
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Home-Based Business
Committee. She also
frequently meets with agency
telework coordinators and
directors of other
Washington, D.C. area
Telework Centers, and
stays active in the
International Telework
Association and Council
and the Washington
Metropolitan Telework
Centers. "I assume it is
my role to be a proponent
for all the General Services
Administration-(GSA) supported
Telework Centers," she says. It is not
uncommon to see Larrick wearing a
button that reads, "Ask me about
GSA’s Telework Centers."
The Bowie Center is an "office away
from the office" for a variety of
workers. Larrick estimates just over
60 percent of the Center’s
teleworkers are Federal government
employees, while the remaining 40
percent come from industry. Larrick
works with managers to optimize their
full use of the Center. For example,
nine people from the same agency
share one seat in the Center.
Teleworkers are able to have flexible
schedules and accomplish special
projects.
Larrick also understands the
important role that a Telework Center
can play in Continuity of Operations
(COOP) planning. The Government
Accountability Office (GAO) recently
audited the Bowie Center for COOP
services. The Center received strong
marks and is now a COOP site for
one Federal agency. Larrick noted
that she is speaking with other
Federal agencies as well.
The Center’s success has not gone
unnoticed. Representative Steny
Hoyer (D-MD) has used the Center
to telework, as well as other
Congressional members and a former
administrator of the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM).
Hoyer, a proponent of telework for
nearly 15 years, recently held a
roundtable discussion at the Center
with 20 teleworkers. He reiterated
the wide ranging benefits of telework
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- from improving the environment
and reducing America’s dependence
on foreign oil, to reducing stress, and
strengthening families.
Larrick has a grand vision of entire
buildings outside of the Washington,
D.C. area dedicated solely to
teleworkers. To promote this future
vision, she remains a tireless
telework talker. "If you are a believer
in telework, get into your community
and talk about it," she says.
"Volunteer, meet people, and join
organizations and associations.
Do what you can to let people know
that telework is more than just a
concept - it is the here and now,
and it is the future."
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$36 million of benefits over the same
three-year period."
Some of those cost savings are
gained from reduced operating costs
in areas such as leave usage,
spending related to Continuity of
Operations (COOP) planning, and the
productivity losses due to inclement
weather or other shutdowns.
The study lays out in detail the
investment levels needed to
modernize agency information
technology (IT) infrastructures
to support a large-scale telework
program. The study’s goal was to
"estimate the costs of expanding
telework technologies so the
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infrastructure can support 25 to 50
percent of the Federal workforce
teleworking." GSA went a step
further to assess the financial and
non-financial benefits of these
enhancements. The report points
out that telework-related technology
investments have uses and benefits
beyond the telework realm -
improved collaboration capabilities,
enhanced continuity of operations,
and a better, more flexible overall
IT infrastructure.
Aside from its wealth of quantitative
information, the study also identifies
concrete steps agencies can take
to expand IT support for telework
programs. The study provides three
business case analyses designed
to help agencies implement robust
telework solutions - from how to
enhance or expand telework, to
strategies for reliable budget
planning. The study employed
financial management tools to
develop the business cases, including
the Capital Planning and Investment
Control (CPIC) process and the Value
Measuring Methodology. These and
other tools are available for Federal
agencies to use in prioritizing
investments and incorporating
telework into strategic IT
enhancements.
The study is one of the first to clearly
estimate and enumerate the costs
involved in developing a telework
infrastructure within an agency.
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People are surely paying attention,
as the number of employees who
telework has quadrupled in the last
six months, and Penkoske considers
telework to be a critical component
in the agency’s strategy to retain and
increase the current DISA talent pool.
"When we changed the telework
policy recently, we explained that
all positions are eligible for telework
unless you come back and tell us
why they are not by exception,"
said Penkoske.
Mark Fuhring noted that, in the past,
his department might have had only
25 to 30 teleworkers. The organization
estimates expanding telework to
300-500 employees this year.
To provide Town Hall Meeting
attendees with models of successful
government telework programs,
panelists discussed best practices
and existing programs. One wellknown
example established
over the last 10 years can be
seen at the United States
Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO). Debbie Cohn,
Deputy Commissioner for
Trademark Operations, discussed
the evolution of the program that
today is saving the agency more
than $1 million annually in leasing
costs. She highlighted key success
factors, including establishing pilot
programs, providing comprehensive
training for teleworkers and
managers, establishing measurable
performance standards, and
setting realistic expectations, as
well as working closely with the
employees’ union.
The Treasury Inspector General for
Tax Administration (TIGTA), part of
the Department of the Treasury,
has established a geographicallydispersed
telework program that
includes nearly 90 percent of the
agency’s auditors and examiners.
Ben Trapp, TIGTA’s Assistant Director
of Client Services and a full time
teleworker, spoke about the
program’s success and half-milliondollar
savings achieved to date.
New employees initially work in a
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TIGTA office, then transition to a twoday-
a-week telework plan, and
eventually work full time from their
home or alternate location. Trapp
emphasized that executive
management support was the single
most important factor that has
contributed to the initial success of
the program. Today, this nationwide
implementation includes staff from
more than 60 regional offices.
"Work is something you do, not a
place you go," said Ronald Simmons,
Knowledge Management Officer and
Technical Advisor at the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). His
presentation showcased the FAA’s
Knowledge Services Network (KSN),
an alternative virtual work space
where FAA employees, business
partners, and customers conduct
daily business and manage programs
of all sizes. The KSN has 22,000
users from 1,500 teams conducting
the critical business of FAA - and a
large portion are doing business from
their homes or other locations.
Business continuity is at the top
of the critical list facing telework
advocates today. Linda Koontz,
Director of Information Management
Issues at the United States
Government Accountability Office
(GAO), reviewed the findings of a
recent report entitled "Continuity of
Operations: Selected Agencies Could
Improve Planning for use of Alternate
Facilities and Telework during
Disruptions." This report, issued in
May 2006, discusses how, and to
what degree, 23 Federal agencies
are using telework programs as an
integrated component of their
continuity planning. (For more
information on this report, see the
June 2006 issue of The Teleworker
or access the complete GAO report
at www.gao.gov, report number
GAO-06-713.
The Department of Commerce’s
Critical Infrastructure Protection
Manager, Dave Jarrell, discussed
programs underway across the large,
diverse agency to integrate telework,
COOP, and other business
contingency planning. The agency
supports teleworkers, as well as a
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large mobile workforce, and these
employees need the ability to work
during all types of weather, and
especially during an emergency.
As part of the Commerce Office
of the CIO, Jarrell noted that an
essential approach to ensuring
business continuity is to involve the
diverse stakeholders in the planning,
governance, security, and testing of
remote access systems. The
Department regularly participates in
exercises, internal and with other
agencies, to ensure COOP programs
are executable, and to address
hiccups along the way.
In a session dedicated to telework
strategies and available tools,
presenters told attendees how to
turbo charge their telework programs.
Speakers included Nigel Ballard of
Intel Corporation, Ray Kent of Booz
Allen Hamilton, Theresa Noll of the
General Services Administration
(GSA), and Tom Simmons of Citrix
Systems. Ballard highlighted the
future of wireless technology and
talked about technologies available
today, noting that most teleworkers
will one day be able to work from any
location. Simmons discussed the
characteristics of the successful
telework programs implemented
throughout government, and touched
on improvements in emerging
technologies, including virtual
meetings and Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP).
Ray Kent and Theresa Noll shared
the initial results of a recentlycompleted
study conducted by
Booz Allen Hamilton for GSA that
analyzed the potential technology
costs and benefits of broadening
telework capabilities to support 25
to 50 percent of the Federal
government workforce. Theresa Noll,
a GSA Senior Telework Program
Analyst, discussed the government’s
study objectives and detailed the
effectiveness and potential cost
savings involved in implementing
a more robust Federal telework
infrastructure. For more information
on this GSA study, see page one of
this edition of The Teleworker.
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The Office of the National Capital
Region Coordination (ONCRC), part of
the Department of Homeland
Security, hosted a special session at
the Town Hall Meeting to discuss
proven Federal telework best
practices. The ONCRC is designing
and implementing COOP programs for
the National Capital Region. Through
a series of outreach sessions, ONCRC
is looking to involve experienced
government and industry
professionals in the planning process.
As part of its mandate, ONCRC
oversees and coordinates Federal
programs for and relationships with
state, local, and regional authorities
in the National Capital Region.
Available proceedings from the
June 15 Telework Exchange Town
Hall Meeting can be found at
www.teleworkexchange.com/
townhallmeeting.
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- The White House released the
"National Strategy for Pandemic
Influenza Implementation Plan"
in May, which requires the Office
of Personnel Management (OPM)
to update its telework guidance
to include information on workplace
options during a pandemic
outbreak. Visit
www.teleworkexchange.com to
view OPM's updated guidance.
- For the third straight year, Frank
Wolf, Chairman of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee
on Science, State, Justice, and
Commerce, inserted language in
the fiscal 2007 appropriations bill
that will withhold $5 million from
the agencies covered under the bill
if they do not increase their telework
opportunities from last year.
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- Downpours affected the
Washington, D.C. area in June,
forcing the Internal Revenue Service
to close headquarters until 2007 due
to flooding. During this time, the
agency offered employees alternative
workplace options, including telework.
GSA is offering IRS employees free
access to Washington Metropolitan
Telework Centers. More information
on the Telework Centers is available
at www.wmtc.org.
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The study’s cost benefit analysis
clearly shows that initial costs are
well worth the investment – not just
to those who are teleworking, but to
the agency overall.
The study also found that many
agencies currently do not include
telework in their comprehensive
strategic IT planning and program
development. GSA recommends that
agencies consider telework
technology as a component of their
enterprise architectures and capital
planning to expand program benefits
and technology return on investment.
To read the full study, visit
www.teleworkexchange.com/
gsatelework-technology-
cost-study.asp.
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Phone 703.883.9000 | Fax 703.883.9007 | Cindy Auten 703.883.9000 x101
921 King Street | Alexandria, VA | 22314 | info@teleworkexchange.com
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