As deputy division director of the National Continuity of Operations (COOP) Division for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security, Eric Kretz understands the value of telework to an agency that has to deal with the routine-altering ramifications of a sudden disaster, whether it is a local snowstorm, a pandemic flu, or a bioterrorism incident.

As such, he is an enthusiastic advocate of its role in COOP capabilities. Kretz advocates that telework helps agencies avoid the costs involved in leasing or setting up an alternate back-up work site, gives employees confidence in their ability to remain productive during a COOP event, and helps agencies continue their key missions while usual operations are interrupted.

Kretz recently spoke with The Teleworker about the success and challenges that agencies see while trying to combine telework and COOP planning and what additional steps telework program officials can take to help improve the effectiveness of COOP.

Q: In your opinion, how are agencies faring when it comes to integrating their COOP plans with telework capabilities?

Kretz: There are a number of agencies that now use telework in their COOP programs and planning. Many of the smaller agencies are relying on telework 100 percent for their COOP program, and some of them are well positioned to accomplish that. Others are a bit more challenged with the security aspects of telework. The larger agencies seem to be using telework in their continuity programs primarily for social distancing in preparation for some sort of pandemic or bioterrorism incident, and to augment their normal alternate facility operations. In other words, their emergency relocation group of essential workers would continue to perform their essential functions at the alternate site, and they are using teleworkers to help them do some of the other functions that are not necessarily critical but they would like to sustain through unplanned events.

Q: With the agencies that are most successful, what are the key functions or steps that they've taken that you think are contributing to that success?

Kretz: The large agencies that I see with telework programs have telework contracts with definite criteria on how to telework successfully and they also have equipment that they will place in an employee's telework site that enables effective security. In other words, folks are coming into the databases and the IT systems through very secure connections, using protected lines and government equipment and doing their work in a protected way. From what I have seen, all the telework programs for the large organizations are doing a very good job of that.

Q: Besides social distancing and ensuring that essential functions are performed, what other roles can or should telework play in enhancing agency COOP capabilities?

Kretz: A good telework program - one where half or more of the workforce is able to telework, can facilitate the reconstitution of an organization. In other words, in a situation where an incident requires the agency to leave its primary facility and the group is unable to perform its essential functions, other teleworkers may be relied on to supplement the critical workforce enabling the organization to do more. Based on the number of available teleworkers, this remote workforce will be able to provide a percentage of all of the agency's functions. The telework capabilities and trained staff are definitely a significant component in the reconstitution portion of a continuity program.

Q: Are there any other issues that telework managers need to address to provide the best possible help during a COOP event?

Kretz: One consideration should be the location of teleworkers in the event of a regional power outage. In planning telework and COOP, teleworkers need to think beyond their home office - especially if their home is close to work - and make a plan that includes a third site. That might be a hotel, it might be an agency field office, but it needs to be identified as a backup remote location that they can telework from and that can be tested in advance. It is important that teleworkers realize that mobility is a part of a COOP plan and they need to be willing and prepared to move around if necessary.

Q: If telework and COOP continue to be separate functions within an agency, what can telework program officials do to bring them together?

Kretz: Well, they really need to tout telework's ability to perform essential functions during an emergency - not just to the COOP personnel but to their chain of command, including senior agency leadership. Look for opportunities to introduce the COOP benefits of telework into a conversation with executive management. At FEMA, we have brown bag lunches where leadership will provide presentations and engage in give-and-take conversations between rank-and-file employees and agency leadership. It is important to advertise those benefits.

When employees have exposure to their leadership, they should take the opportunity to talk about the benefits of telework and COOP, both for the organization and for the continuity of the organizational mission.