Vincent Van Gogh, the great artist, once said: “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” Or something like that.

Incidentally this was probably said before he cut his ear off!

But Van Gogh had a good point. And when I read that quote on the placemat in a cheap, greasy spoon diner, I vowed to use it someday. This is that day, because he was almost certainly anticipating the effort to get more federal workers off the roads via teleworking.

The number of feds who telework (some as little as one or two days per year) is on the rise. But the increases aren’t big and some are little more than paper exercises to make Congress think agencies are serious about the proposal. We touched on the subject some time back and asked managers how they felt about having an out-of-sight workforce.

Here are some replies:

“As a federal manager I have employees that I know would probably be more productive at home than they are in the office. I also have employees that require some prodding to get their assignments done and would likely be much less productive than they are now. But when I think of our dependence on foreign oil, it’s time to embrace telework for those employees whose primary duties are all automated work from home or a telework place close to their residence. The federal government can be a leader for other businesses to allow telework. The price of a barrel of oil might roll back to under $50 after just a few months.” Nancy H.

“Let my staff work from home! Surely you jest!!!!

“Half of my group probably would do a good job working from home. I can see many benefits to the federal government, the environment and to these individuals. On the other hand I have some people who do a passable job, but only if they are constantly nudged, reminded, etc. I suspect they would spend more time watching TV, checking the TSP account or shopping than they would spend working.

“Finally, and unlike many federal offices, we have a large number of younger workers. I love their enthusiasm and energy. But they need to be stroked on a daily basis. I guess these are the children of soccer moms (and dads) who were constantly reassured that they were wonderful, and that there are no losers (ever) in life. I don’t know what the impact of teleworking would be on them, but I’m afraid to find out.”

Best Dates to Retire

December-January are the most popular months for feds to retire. The magic dates are nearly always Dec. 31 for employees under the FERS system and January 1,2 or 3. Those magic dates apply regardless of what year it is. For more click here.

Careful retirement planning can dictate whether you just scrape by (as in eating dog food rather than steak), or whether you live well in retirement. That struck a cord with this reader who said:

*”Your timing is impeccable! My better half and I were discussing how high food prices have been going up, especially meats, and how we have to switch to more vegetarian dishes. As she was feeding the dogs, I asked her what the dog food had in it. The first two ingredients were duck and salmon! Perhaps being a dog in today’s world is not as bad as we think?!” Phil Sparta

Nearly Useless Factoid

Not sure how “factual” it is, but it’s fun, free, and in the spirit of the day. (Thanks to MentalFloss for pointing us to it.) Among the The Top 100 April Fool Hoaxes of All Time, is the story of the Taco Liberty Bell.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

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