Lurita Doan, Administrator for the General Services Administration (GSA), gave the opening keynote address at the 2007 Telework Exchange Town Hall Meeting and set forth a lofty challenge for her agency - she wants 50 percent of GSA eligible staff teleworking by the end of 2010 and hopes that other agency leaders will follow her example.

"It’s an ambitious goal, but like all ambitious goals, this is one that I know is achievable," she stated in her keynote address on September 12th.

Currently, 10 percent of the eligible GSA workforce teleworks one or more days a week, which is more than the overall number of Federal workers that telework.

Given the substantial benefits of telework, those numbers are anemic at best, according to Doan. "After 15 years of continuing efforts to promote Federal telework programs, participation levels still are not as high as we believe they can and should be," she said, noting that, once in place, her new plan will "make GSA the leader in Federal telework and a model for our sister agencies."

Over the next three months, Doan and her team will work to establish the strategy, people, and policies that will enable GSA to implement a program to increase its teleworker participation to 20 percent by the end of 2008, 40 percent by the end of 2009, and 50 percent by 2010.

To further the goal, she explained, employment notices for each new eligible job at GSA will clearly state that telework is an option for any employee hired into the position.

Of course, GSA has long been a leading proponent of telework, establishing 14 telework centers in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia for employees who cannot or prefer not to work at home - but still do not want to commute into their regular office every day.

Doan stated that a major barrier to telework continues to be management concerns about quantity and quality of work and whether or not off-site employees will be available or accessible when needed. GSA research, however, shows the teleworkers are at least as and often more productive than office-bound workers and at least as if not more available.

"It seems that those who argue the loudest against telework have never tried it," Doan said, adding that studies by Telework Exchange and the Federal Managers Association have shown that managers are more receptive when they telework themselves.

For this reason, GSA is encouraging managers to try working at one of the GSA telework centers. So far, 40 have signed up.

"What they will find is what we already know: that telework reduces energy use; cuts down on greenhouse gases; eases traffic; reduces our dependence on foreign oil; increases worker productivity; and saves taxpayer dollars," she said. "It also happens to be a great way to attract and keep a world-class Federal workforce."