GSA has announced a new telework policy that it says will help meet a goal announced last year to get half of the agency to telework at least once or twice each week by the end of 2010.
It said the new policy emphasizes human capital management, IT components and employee telework agreements, and that a fund has been established to absorb the costs for employees wishing to use alternative worksites.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed a bill in March that would require agencies to establish policies under which employees generally may telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in each two-week pay period.
HR-4106 would also require those policies to ensure that the opportunity to telework is made available to the maximum extent possible without diminishing employee performance or agency operations.
It also requires GSA to provide teleworking assistance and guidance to agencies, requires agencies to dedicate a telework managing officer, and establishes provisions for incorporating telework into agency continuity of operations planning.
The Senate’s version, S-1000, passed the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in November.
