Push for government telework should be a priority

There's nothing like a really bad snowstorm to bring home the importance of allowing federal employees to telework. As the Washington, D.C., area recovers from an unprecedented snowfall over the past weekend that dumped as much as 32 inches of snow in the region, it's clear that government work will be grinding to a halt, or at least slowing to a crawl.

Last Thursday, OPM Director John Berry issued a memo telling agencies to let as many federal employees telework as possible. Last Friday, the federal government closed early, and workers went home as the blizzard descended into the region.

"This severe weather forecast presents a key opportunity for agencies to test their telework plans in the context of emergency preparedness," Berry wrote.

It is likely that many workers will not make it to the office early this week, and those considered most essential personal will struggle, putting government in a part-time mode until the roads are cleared, the schools are reopened and mass transit is back in full operation.

The Washington blizzard has made clear what many already know--the federal government has the ability to make telework a reality for many more workers, and doing so will be good for employees, for the government and for the taxpayers.

In 2009, there were 103,000 teleworkers in the federal government at 78 agencies out of about two million workers nationwide, working from home one or two days a week. That's a drop in the bucket.

President Obama wants to change that. His proposed 2011 budget calls for an increase of 50 percent the number of eligible federal workers who telework.

A government blog--www.telework.gov--is bringing home the issue to federal workers, seeking comments on their experiences and ideas for solutions. Some of the comments on the Telework Talk section tell the story. Here's just one of them:

"I have found Telework to be one of the best programs ever offered in my 30-plus years of federal government experience. I have been able to telework one day per week and did so for three years. I was able to accomplish three days of work in one telework day because of the lack of interruptions and the absolute quiet."

There are a number of reasons why telework has not grown rapidly in the government, including issues of security. Hopefully the IT community can wrap its arms around this problem, provide the fixes necessary and assurances to reluctant managers.

Perhaps the blizzard of 2010 will be a wake-up call for government managers and spur the change that is needed. There are many other scenarios besides a snow storm that could bring home the need for telework from a pandemic to a terrorist attack. The government must keep running, and telework can help ensure that occurs. - Judi