The Pentagon has issued revised telework policy under the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act, incorporating that law’s provisions in areas including employee eligibility to telework and issues for those deemed eligible including work scheduling, performance evaluations, security protections, and provision of agency equipment.
It says that telework "facilitates the accomplishment of work; can serve as an effective recruitment and retention strategy; enhance DoD efforts to employ and accommodate people with disabilities; and create cost savings by decreasing the need for office space and parking facilities, and by reducing transportation costs, including costs associated with payment of transit subsidies."
It also orders management to make every effort to overcome "artificial barriers" to telework. Although not specified, that presumably includes managerial resistance and related issues such as concern about adequate office staffing and information technology concerns that traditionally are cited as the major hindrances to more teleworking by employees.
The DoD policy is here: http://www.cpms.osd.mil/telework/telework_index.aspx
Meanwhile, under terms of the same law that required greater training of employees and managers regarding how telework best operates, OPM is offering several online courses, available at www.telework.gov.
