Many federal employees remain unaware of agency telework policies or their personal eligibility, according to analysis of data collected online by the Telework Exchange from 664 employees in 65 departments and agencies.
Tandberg, a teleconferencing company, based a study on the results and found that 37 percent are unaware of agency telework policies, while 42 percent are unaware of their personal eligibility to telework.
Of that 42 percent, 90 percent of are eligible, and 75 percent could do so on a full time basis, Tandberg said.
It estimates that a three-day-a-week teleworker could save $5,878 annually on commuting costs and spare 9,060 pounds of pollutants, and urged managers to consider all employees eligible to telework unless proven otherwise, an approach the government is slowing coming around to.
Tandberg also recommended incorporating visual communication technology into the work environment, but it also suggested communicating to employees eligibility based on position and performance, and getting management on board, noting past findings that when managers themselves participate in telework they become more amenable to the work arrangement.
