Much of the country, including some major federal centers, is going through a particularly brutal winter. Boston is buried, New York reeling, Chicago and Indianapolis frosted. Atlanta, Nashville and Richmond got a ton (for them) of snow and ice.

The pipes in the basement of Washington’s Fords Theater, where Abraham Lincoln was killed, burst threatening priceless items. There is concern about moisture damage. Turns out the coat he was wearing that April evening had just been sent out to the dry cleaners!!!

Because of the extended tough weather its very likely that a record number of federal employees have been working from home. And putting in more time away from the office. Bad weather news is good news for advocates of teleworking.

The Internal Revenue Service has one of the most extensive (and many say best-working) large agency telework programs. We asked a long-time revenuer how it’s going, its pros and cons. This is part of what she said:

“Here’s some input based on my experiences in teleworking at the IRS over the last two years. The IRS and National Treasury Employees Union have an agreement which identifies the parameters of Telework under Article 50 of the Agreement. There are basically three major types of telework &mdashl Frequent, Recurring and Ad Hoc. The frequent teleworkers perform more than 80 hours each month teleworking. The recurring teleworkers perform less than 80 hours per month teleworking. And, the ad-hoc teleworkers only telework occasionally. There are also restrictions as to which jobs within the IRS lend themselves to teleworking. My job series “1102” falls in an approved series. In addition, there are time restrictions on how long you’ve been employed, etc. before you can telework.

“I currently telework two days one week and three days the next week.

Benefits:

• Less stress in driving 37 miles on 50 and 495
• Save $ on gasoline
• Don’t have to dress professionally but can wear sweats or whatever.
• Quiet environment … great for writing projects or evaluations.
• Save some on leave since closer to home if I have a doctor’s appointment or other need to take leave (requires use of less leave since I don’t have to travel from my office).
• Government eventually saves $$ because of decreased office space rental which drives the teleworking. However, once teleworking becomes the “norm”, I’ll bet there will be people claiming the use of their home and eventually, the government paying for us to telework from home … maybe not, but …
• Excellent tool for government in case of bad weather or other reasons the employees should not report to an office (marches, threats, pipes breaking, smoke, etc.).
• Reduces traffic on the roads where predominantly government jobs are located.
• Requires individuals to “think” on their own.

Disadvantages:

• Although an electronic world, I often need printed copies … not allowed to use personal printers. If I need to print something, need to do it on a day in the office
• In order to get an IRS printer, I need to be working more than half the work hours from home.
• Currently, we all have the capability of using Office Communicator (an ability to contact via phone or text through the computer). However, because of the union agreement with IRS, employees are not required to use it. Thus, managers cannot always reach employees through it … go figure.
• I miss the social aspects of knowing others are nearby even if I don’t visit with them — also miss having lunch occasionally with some of peers from work — I can’t do that from home.
• Some managers are more flexible in allowing employees to telework than others. This has caused some allegations of unfairness, which creates morale problems.
• Sometimes what you say in an email or even on the phone may be interpreted differently than if face-to-face.
• Definite decrease in social interaction.
• Not as easy to have the synergy from a group when not face-to-face. I think we’ll have some, but many will be doing other things while engaged in a conference call which will distract them from offering up other ideas.
• Often forget to get up and walk around while teleworking because you get so engaged in the work.
• My computer and documents or reference books that I carry back and forth can be very heavy.

As the CLE Program Manager for the interns, whom we call CLEs (Career Ladder Employees), I require them to do an annual group research project. I group four or five of them together (not their usual workgroups) and have them research a topic and create a PowerPoint presentation, a white paper, and give a formal presentation to managers and their peers. In November, they were required to give their presentations on the topic of “Embracing Teleworking in the IRS Office of Procurement and Hoteling in Three Locations for National Office Employees”. There were six presentations. One of them was outstanding. The others were also good. Since they were focusing on teleworking and the fact that we will each be choosing one of three locations to report to (Tysons Corner, D.C., or New Carrollton) this year, which in most cases will be chosen based on proximity to homes, the concerns were even greater and also focused a lot on the accommodations in their new “hoteling” space. But, here are a few of the areas that are of interest regarding teleworking in addition to what I have provided above:

Pros:

• Improves employee satisfaction
• Reduces unscheduled absences
• Flexible hours

Cons:

• Less contact with co-workers and social interaction
• Less access to office equipment, work support
• Being disciplined

One group specifically felt that managers may not like “teleworking” because they actually don’t “trust” the employees to be working.

Another tip they offered was to know when to talk to a customer, peer or whomever and when to write (email or OCS).

Employees and managers need to do what they say they will do to develop trust.

Managers, supervisors and employees must be committed to teleworking fully for telework to be successful.” — Anonymous

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

By Michael O’Connell

Amanda Blake, American television actress who played Miss Kitty Russell on Gunsmoke, was born on Feb. 20, 1929.

Source: Famous Birthdays

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