OPM Crafts Program to Boost Telework

OPM has announced a series of initiatives to boost the telework program, acting administratively to adopt many of the ideas featured in legislation pending for several years to increase the number and frequency of federal employees working from home or from satellite offices. OPM said it will create a working group of telework managers to recommend new standards for teleworking and then order agencies to submit policies for review against those standard. OPM will provide technical assistance and review compliance with the standards. It also will encourage agencies to create telework managing officers to oversee their programs, encourage agencies to create appeals processes for employees whose requests for telework or other flexible work arrangements are denied, and provide training designed to address managerial resistance to the program.