Mike Causey

Teleworking: Boondoggle or Cellulite Cure?

Will teleworking eliminate traffic jams and cure male pattern baldness or will it cost the taxpayers an arm and a leg? And who is on the banned from teleworking...

Federal News Network Staff

July 21, 2010 4:00 am

3 min read

Both the Senate and House have approved bills that would greatly expand teleworking opportunities for tens of thousands of federal workers. But the different versions of the bill still must survive a conference committee before agencies will be encouraged/required to get with it.

Regardless of any new telework effort, progress in your agency will depend largely on how top management perceives the pros and cons of having a sizable chunk of the office not at the office.

When it comes to working from home, many if not most people seem to be enrolled in one of two schools of thought:

School One: Teleworking is the greatest concept since sliced bread. It will save the government money (in office space, parking, utilities). It will reduce traffic congestion and pollution, eliminate tardiness, make workers more productive, etc. And it will make government service more attractive to top college graduates for whom workplace issues (they say) are more important than money. No one has yet promised that teleworking will eliminate male pattern baldness. Or cellulite. Not yet.

School Two: Teleworking is the ultimate boondoggle on many levels. Too many – maybe most – people can’t be trusted to devote the same time or energy to their tasks. Too many distractions (kids, neighbors, Dr. Oz, The Young and Restless or World Series) at home. No one has yet claimed it will turn the federal workforce into a group of agoraphobics. Not yet.

In approving its telework bill last week, the House adopted a Republican motion setting guidelines as to who could, and could not, telework. If the Senate goes along, feds could not telework if:

They have been officially disciplined for viewing, downloading or exchanging pornography (including child pornography) on government time or a government computer.
They have a serious delinquent tax debt. (Amount not specified).
They have been officially disciplined for being absent without permission 5 or more days in any calendar year.

In addition, the agency head would have to certify to OPM, teleworking would save the government money.

As happens in political Washington, different people using the same data often come up with very different answers. Very.

Opponents of teleworking cite Congressional Budget Office data which, they say, shows it would cost the taxpayers $30 million over the next five years.

Backers of teleworking say numbers provided by the Telework Research Network say teleworking would save $11 billion a year. They say Uncle Sam lost $71 million per day during DC ‘s Blizzard of 2010 which effectively shut down the non-emergency side of government for days.

Predictions: Lobbyists watching the telework battle predict the Senate and House will reach agreement, and that final bill will NOT include language that would freeze federal pay or deny the 2011 pay raise to those who telework.

Advice: Given the wide gap in the cost estimate vs. savings estimate math of critics and backers of teleworking, one would be well advised when buying a suit, cutting a board or aiming a rocketship, not to let anyone who works on Capitol Hill do the measuring or the math.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

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