Today is a snow day for government employees in DC. Oh, wait, never mind. You still have to get to the office but you are allowed a two-hour delayed arrival time due to inclement weather in the DC area. Some federal government employees may choose to brave the weather and make their way through the snow to get to work, while others will take advantage of the opportunity to take an unscheduled telework day.
Those that choose the latter will reap the benefits of several values that come along with teleworking, according to a study, that also includes a ROI Toolkit, conducted by the Mobile Work Exchange in conjunction with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The findings review the advantages that not only individual government employees enjoy by teleworking but the value that the agency benefits from by authorizing more employees to work in a mobile work environment.
Commuting costs – By teleworking at least one day per week; employees can save time and money on their commute. This benefit is primarily for the employee, however, the agency can still use this value to increase a current employee’s commitment or attract new talent to the agency.
Transit subsidies – This value helps agencies save money by reducing the amount of transit subsidies processed by employees who are able to decrease their commuting miles or work from a mobile location.
Environmental impact – Executive Order 13514, signed by President Obama in October 2009, requires agencies to meet a standard reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. This teleworking value can support agencies’ efforts in meeting that goal and help the environment. Employees are also able to use less transportation, thus reducing their carbon footprint.
Continuity of operations (COOP) – A disruption in business operations can cost millions in lost productivity. We’ve seen evidence of this in unexpected office closures due to harsh weather in the past, as well as during the government shutdown late last year. Agencies can avoid this by ensuring that their staff is able to do their jobs from home or other remote locations.
Productivity – Many teleworkers report an increase in productivity and an increase in actual amount of time spent working when they telework due to less distractions and the elimination of the time required to commute to and from the office.
Recruitment/retention – As employees try to find the right work/life balance, many are praising the ability to telework as a means to achieving that perfect balance. This flexibility helps agencies retain their top talent and avoid the high cost of recruiting, onboarding, and training new employees.
Real estate – Desk sharing and hotel spaces are two ways agencies can reduce the amount of office space required by its employees. Federal workers can collaborate with one another and coordinate their schedules so each can utilize the same office space on varying days of the week, eliminating the need for more desk space.
Utilities – In turn, when agencies eliminate the need for so much office space, utilities such as gas, electric, and water are reduced and the agency is able to save on those costs. During Telework Week 2012, USDA asked eligible employees to telework one day per week. Following that week, the agency calculated the cost savings on utilities to be equivalent to what 50 homes would use over the course of one week. Imagine if more agencies adopted this policy more often!
Telework Week 2014 just around the corner! Last year, over 136,000 government employees participated in Telework Week saving $12.3 million in commuting costs, reclaiming 665,936 hours back into their day, eliminating 7,892 tons of pollutants from the air, and saving 12.1 million driving miles. Now isn’t that better than a two-hour delayed start time? Pledge to telework the week of March 3-7 and reap the benefits for both you and your agency.
Share how teleworking has saved your agency money.
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Super awesome post, Kristina! I could not agree more. You articulate the many benefits of telework in a clear and concise manner.
Put simply, telework simply makes good business sense. This is especially true in today’s fast-evolving mobile/digital world where new technology is evolving at warp speed.
In case you missed it, check out:
https://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/gov-should-resolve-to-expand-telework-in-new-year
Great summary of the benefits of telework, Kristina! It’s still a tough sell, especially on days when Federal offices are closed. I recommend that all eligible Federal, State, or Local Govies make their pledge to telework during Telework Week (March 3-7, 2014) at
http://www.mobileworkexchange.com/teleworkweek/
Telework can be great for some but I avoid it. As a Web site manager, I’ve found having to telework would make my job much harder in some circumstances. Examples: (1) Sometimes I have to persuade fellow staff to do what they don’t want to do, and I find that discussing the issue in person often makes a world of difference; E-mail and the phone sometimes don’t cut it. Meetings can be planned for teleworkers but that slows everything down as schedules must be reconciled. (2) Loss of personal interaction can mean loss of critical or timely information, hurting effectiveness. (3) Loss of synergy can mean loss of team cohesiveness. (4) Teleworkers can be on conference calls but it isn’t the same as being there. These effects will become more important as use of telework increases. Bottom line: I telework under unusual circumstances only.