Telework in Trouble? Why Mandatory Implementation is Needed Now...

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Comment by David B. Grinberg on May 16, 2013 at 5:54pm

Thanks for your astute and insightful comments, Brandi. You raise many valid points.

However, the fact is that the work world is undergoing a radical transformation from brick-and-mortar to virtual/mobile/digital in both the public and private sectors. Some may not like it, but we will all eventually have to adapt regardless.

This virtual/digital/mobile workplace transformation is akin to how the Industrial Revolution reinvented work processes, procedures, jobs and skill sets about a century ago – and, ultimately, for the better.

Insofar as government is concerned, all employees deemed "telework eligible" or "telework ready" by management should know how to work remotely for contingency purposes -- if nothing else -- like during government shutdowns due to severe weather or worse.

Managers and co-workers alike must embrace new methods of communicating and collaborating. Embracing radical change is never easy, especially in a mammoth bureaucracy. Nonetheless, change is a certainty.

Yes, we can run from the fast-evolving digital/mobile/virtual work world, but we can't hide forever.

This is not to say that all employees should work remotely all the time. Yet employers and employees should try to strike a reasonable balance -- on an individualized basis – to begin incorporating remote work into their schedules at least on an incremental basis. That may merely equate to once biweekly or once a month.

Is that too much to ask for adapting to a “brave new world” of 21st century work modernization?

I certainly hope not for the sake of America’s ability to compete and win in the new global high-tech economy.

Thanks for considering this, Brandi.

 

Comment by Brandi R. Bernal on May 15, 2013 at 11:26am

In my opinion, the biggest challenge faced by dedicated teleworkers is the ability to demonstrate potential for career advancement to management.  Does a manager really get a good sense of an employees's ability to lead and/or be promoted simply by reviewing production numbers or intermittent webinar meetings?  My thought is no.  Also, if an employee is permanently sent home to work on their projects, how much exposure does that employee get to other ideas, points of view, etc?  If the point of telework is to avoid interruptions and work, work, work... how long does that last?  How long is a human being, social by nature, expected to work alone in their home?  Some of my best ideas have come from the "interruptions" from co-workers.  I have teleworked in the past and clearly, I am not a fan.  When I come to my cubicle, I'm happy because my cubicle neighbors are my team.  We work together, we share ideas face to face, we take a look at eachother's projects and provide opinions, we get to know eachother.  I say hello to executives as I walk down the hall.  I network with other areas in my agency and observe what future opportunities may lie ahead.  Management can see I am more than a production number or a face on a computer.  I am a dynamic individual with potential for much more than production.  Should telework be an option to all employees for those days where it just makes sense?  Sure.  But to expect this to be the future of employment is something I personally do not look forward to. 

And as a side note- the picture in the article of the woman teleworking with 4 children next to her is extremely disconnected from reality.  If you think middle-aged cubicle neighbors interrupt your work too much, try an 8 year old!

Comment by Phuong Le Callaway, PhD on March 6, 2013 at 4:30pm

David:  Thank you so much for your empathy of my personal situations.  I hope the situations will improve.  I do agree that teleworking is the priviledge and not a right.  It can be given and it can be taken away if employees abuse it.  Telework is not for everyone but when the employees are considered "telework ready", they will enjoy it as they can perform much more efficiently with less distractions.  Performance results count so it does not matter where the actual office location may be.  The needs of both employers and employees must be satisfied for an effective telework program.  I know the Telework Enhancement Act (2010) has helped improve work and family life for many Federal employees and helped reduce operating costs for both employers and employees.  I am more than ready and waiting for a miracle.  I have not seen it but I have the faith.

Comment by David B. Grinberg on March 6, 2013 at 4:20pm

The Huffington Post reports:

Why Working In The Office Is Bad For You

"...But what's most remarkable of all is the research that says having workers stay late isn't just unhealthy for the workers, it's also not such a great thing for the company either. A Harvard Business school professor and researcher found that all those extra hours spent connected to the office don't actually improve worker productivity. Rather it's the opposite. Worker productivity actually improves if the worker is allowed to have a life outside the office, found Leslie Perlow, author of Sleeping With Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work. Perlow says we are trapped in a "cycle of responsiveness where we believe that every email, every text, must be answered at that very moment. That doesn't prioritize the work but rather treats everything with equal weight and importance.  When teams of workers agreed to disconnect during certain hours, Perlow found, they were not only more satisfied with their jobs and more likely to want to stay working there, but the company's clients reported that nothing fell through the cracks."

"Some new research has shown that all those cool benefits -- originally intended to lure and keep workers -- have blurred the boundary between work and personal life and contributed to a stress-inducing environment for those they were intended to woo. Those work freebies become "psychologically problematic," said Nancy Rothbard, an associate professor of management at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, when they encourage employees to make "their work life their entire life." And that's what's happening, she said. By providing free yoga and aerobics classes, in-place swimming pools, employee lounges with pool tables, dart boards and ping-pong and on-site hair and nail salons, offices have been turned into corporate cocoons. Everything is made so convenient, and it's so much fun to be there, that you never want to leave.

"And that's precisely the problem with the perks, believes David Lewin, professor of management at UCLA Anderson School of Management: "Employees stay on the work campus for 12 to 18 hours a day -- and even if they are only working 10 of those hours..."

 

Comment by David B. Grinberg on March 6, 2013 at 1:21pm

Phuong: Thanks so much for sharing your story here and in the LinkedIn discussion. 

It's very unfortunate to hear that you are facing so many roadblocks to successful telework.That's a real shame. First- and mid-level managers need to understand that blocking telework for eligible, talented and productive employees -- or making the process extra difficult -- is a lose-lose situation. 

This is because the prospective teleworker will only end up frustrated and upset -- which may lead to a drop in personal morale, attendance and productivity, plus complications with personal and family issues outside of the office (which also may negatively impact job performance).  This is not how good management attains and retains talented staff -- paticularly the younger generation of Millennials.  To the contrary, it's how agencies lose talented people.

I think you "hit the nail on the head" per your astute observation:

"There are three main reasons why telework has not been fully embraced: 1) managers feel a sense of isolation, 2) managers do not want to loose certain employees to other opportunities, and 3) managers do not want to change the "managerial" way they feel comfortable with."

Management resistance is a primary reason why mandatory telework policies are needed gov-wide, albeit with a minimal level of remote work for those who prefer the office environment. It seems that some managers will only get-with-the-program if compelled to do so by their agencies per a mandate from the top.

Eligible employees who desire telework must understand that it is a privilege, not a right. I've observed situations where a teleworker was unreachable and unaccountable.  The result: no more telework for that individual -- plain and simple. 

If you abuse it, you lose it!

Mandatory management training and leadership from  agency heads are both integral aspects of any successful telework program.

I wish you the best of luck with your personal situation, Phuong, and hope it improves.

DBG  

 

 

Comment by David B. Grinberg on March 6, 2013 at 12:55pm

Tracey: Thanks for the insightful comments. 

It's always helpful to hear from folks with a diverse range of viewpoints and experiences. I certainly would not consider you an "odd ball" because you don't like telework.  Remote work is not for everyone. However, as you noted:

"I suppose there wouldn't be too much harm done if I were only forced to telework one day"  (per pay period, as I suggested as a mandatory minimum).

It's good you feel that way, Tracey, because all eligible teleworkers should at least have their IT infrastructure in place, be trained and know how to work remotely if and when needed -- especially during emergency situations as part of contingency planning.  This is very important for the continuity of operations gov-wide during mass shutdowns. 

You make an excellent point, Tracey, that agencies must equip employees with the tools and IT infrastructure to successfully work remotely.  Otherwise, the proposition is be self-defeating.  This is a step-by-step process.  No agency should ignore or skip over any of the steps for staff to transition from "telework eligible" status, to "telework ready" status, to actually working remotely in a productive fashion.

Successful telework involves more than a BlackBerry. At a minimum, each teleworker needs to be connected to their agency's VPN IT system to have immediate remote access to their personal desktop computer, just as if they were sitting in their official work station within their agency. 

Thanks again, Tracey, for your comments. Again, remote work is not for everyone.

DBG

 

Comment by David B. Grinberg on March 5, 2013 at 8:00pm

FYI -- WorldatWork to Celebrate Telework Week 2013 with Tweet Chat March 6 -- Guests Include USDA and Mobile Work Exchange...

"WorldatWork, a nonprofit human resources association focused on compensation, benefits and work-life, is pleased to celebrate Telework Week 2013 by hosting a Tweet chat Wednesday on March 6 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST using #telework. Rose Stanley, @WorldatWork_RS, work-life practice leader for WorldatWork, will moderate the chat with guests Cindy Auten, @CindyMWE, general manager, Mobile Work Exchange, the lead sponsor of Telework Week 2013, and the award-winning Mika J. Cross, @USDA work/life and wellness program manager, Office for Human Resources Management, United States Department of Agriculture. USDA's Turbo-Charge Telework program was recently honored with an Innovative Excellence Award from WorldatWork's Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP). Cross was also recognized as an AWLP "Rising Star" for her role in implementing this program."

Comment by Tracey Harriot on March 5, 2013 at 11:12am

I'm one of the oddballs that does not want to telework. There are two reasons why I've been avoiding it as my agency moves towards it. (We are authorized to telework 50% of the pay period.)
First - I do not work well at home. I never have. When completing my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I would leave my house to get homework done. In some cases I was driving almost 30 minutes to get to the campus library just to avoid being distracted at home. I'll admit - I'm very easily distracted at home. I would be a terrible teleworker, so why force me to do it if I'm actually more efficient in my cubicle? I suppose there wouldn't be too much harm done if I were only forced to telework one day, as David has suggested as a minimum, but I still feel that it would be slightly detrimental. (Ok, ok, with that said - I know that someday I'll have to learn to like telework, but I'm holding out as long as I can.)
Second - I don't think it's appropriate for my job series to telework as often as we have been authorized. Many will disagree with me, and perhaps my opinion is biased due to my aversion of telework, but contracting involves a lot of interaction in the workplace. A simple action can require input from upwards of 5 or so people and can get bottlenecked when the applicable players are not immediately available. Not to mention, we are not anywhere near working in a paperless environment, so this further complicates the process.
The second point will undoubtedly get better as technology catches up. As telework is the current buzzword, I've found that people are teleworking without the necessary equipment and support. As an example, some people do not even have a printer at home. Since we do not utilize digital signatures, I'm a bit confused or concerned by this. Some are teleworking only armed with their blackberry. David addressed this a bit in describing the move from "telework eligible" to actually teleworking, but it seems as though some agencies have skipped right to telework so that they can check off a box.
Just my 2 cents... :)

Comment by Phuong Le Callaway, PhD on March 5, 2013 at 7:24am

My personal story via LinkedIn--sharing with you!
"Thanks for all the posts and the various views on telework. This telework is a sensitive subject. I live in a different state and work in Virginia. In my case, my family moved in 2012. I have tried to request for telework at my new state but it was denied, but the telework (just two days a week) at my former residence state (MD) was authorized.

I fly back home on a monthly basis and I am required to request to work on those days at my new residence each time.

Telework in Maryland is permanently approved but on a case-by-case basis from my home. Does it make sense to you? It has been going on for more than a year now and the emotional, physical, and the financial aspects have been negatively impacted. Yes, moving away from my current work location is my family and personal decision but agency can help accommodate a high performing employee if the agency's policy on telework is strong.

In general, I will say this and I agree with some of the posts that the resistance is on the immediate managers or supervisors.

There are three main reasons why telework has not been fully embraced: 1) managers feel a sense of isolation, 2) managers do not want to loose certain employees to other opportunities, and 3) managers do not want to change the "managerial" way they feel comfortable with.

In my case, I was assigned a critical function and new expected ongoing tasks by my immediate supervisor despite the fact that I have moved and this critical function and those new expected tasks that are currently performed by another person has made my telework from my new residence impossible.

These new, expected tasks require me to be physical present. To get back to the issue of telework for its implementation to be successful, agency must make it mandatory. Performance management must be changed to measure critical duties so teleworkers are aware what they will be measured on. If employees fail in performance while teleworking and if performance is not improved, telework can be temporarily banned. It is simple.

Managers must have a telework mindset ready or the initiative will fail. Managers should be trained and educated about the pros and cons of telework program. Some positions may not be performed via telework full-time but telework schedules can vary to help employees balance work and family life. Consistency in implementation is required.

In conclusion, managers and supervisors' attitude toward telework is a huge barrier to this Federal initiative. Managers can make or break the agency. They don't feel comfortable with change but change is inevitable in the new global economy, the technological society, and the Federal workforce restructuring. In my personal case, it is a sad thing!"

Comment by David B. Grinberg on March 2, 2013 at 2:44pm

Thanks for your comments, Julie. Good to hear from you, as always.

Just to reiterate, many federal jobs may in fact NOT be well suited for remote work. That’s not what’s at issue here. Management and HR folks must make that determination based upon individual positions, job descriptions and work requirements.

My point is that feds who are deemed “telework eligible” now need to move to the next level of being “telework ready” and then transition to actually working remotely at least on a minimum basis.

All eligible feds should have the process in the place to allow them to work remotely, whether it’s for a couple of days per week or only a couple of days per month. This includes having signed telework agreements and the appropriate IT tools in place.

Moreover, I strongly believe there needs to be a mandatory minimum telework policy in place gov-wide under which every eligible teleworker must work remotely at least one-day per pay period. Why?

Because Congressional legislation hasn’t worked, per the Telework Enhancement Act. OPM prodding and guidance hasn't worked. Thus it’s time for more stringent measures in order to hold agencies feet to the fire. Perhaps a Presidential Executive Order is warranted.

This is the only way to build and maintain a solid telework infrastructure gov-wide. Additionally, as noted, it's integral to federal gov continuity of operations to have such a telework infrastructure in place to the largest extent possible. Eligible feds need to be ready, willing and able to work remotely when emergencies cause gov-wide shutdowns for various reasons.

In short, all federal agencies need to adopt the latest IT tools and move forward into the 21st century, rather than backwards to yesteryear. In my opinion, this is a “no-brainer” – especially considering how slow and resistant so many agencies have been to embrace remote work for well over a decade now.

Again, great to hear from you, Julie, and good luck with everything on your end.

DBG

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