Telework in the age of swine flu

A D.C.-based group that advocates for an expansion of teleworking in the federal government has polled federal employees on how their agencies handled the H1N1 swine flu outbreak until now.

The survey, conducted by the Telework Exchange, sought to snap a picture of how the federal workforce was, or was not, able to use the ability to work outside of the office during the height of concern over the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Cindy Auten is General Manager of the Telework Exchange.

42 percent of respondents say they received no guidance from their agencies on "how we respond to pandemic planning." 26 percent gave their agencies high marks for "flu survivability," which includes the ability to continue to work outside the office in the event of a pandemic.

Except for a handful of local public and private schools that closed as a precaution, and some college students quarantined, the H1N1 flu that swept the nation eventually proved to be fairly mild in its severity. With few exceptions, there was never any need for massive numbers of business closures and quarantines, as had been feared.

Still, Auten says the Telework Exchange survey revealed an interesting finding about the question of going to work or staying at home in the event the virus spread to the workplace.

If H1N1 were to infect a city where Federal employees work, only 51percent indicated that they would definitely show up for work. And, if H1N1 were reported in an office, only 26 percent of those polled said they would report to their offices.

The Telework Exchange study also outlined the "top ten list" of federal agencies deemed by staffers to be the best organized when it came to telework and COOP (Continuity of Operations.) Among the agencies recognized are the General Services Administration, NASA and the Department of the Navy.

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On the Web:

Telework Exchange - teleworkexchange.com

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