Attention to Telework Increasing

The House Government Reform Committee plans hearings this week on telecommuting in the federal government, the latest in a series of efforts by Congress to prod agencies into allowing more of their employees to work from home or from a telework center. Language in the House version of an appropriations bill covering the State, Justice and Commerce Departments as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Small Business Administration would require those agencies to make telecommuting available to all eligible employees or else face budget cuts. Also, the Office of Personnel Management recently held telework training sessions targeting 16 agencies in which less than 2 percent of employees telework. OPM also recently hosted an Internet-based seminar on teleworking.