Telework Exchange

"What We Saved; What We Learned"

Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced that Virginia teleworkers saved approximately $113,000, avoided driving 140,000 miles and removed 75.89 tons of pollutants from the air through participation in Telework Day on August 3, 2009. The "What We Saved; What We Learned" report, compiled by the public-private partnership Telework Exchange, also reveals an increase in productivity by participants and reports satisfaction with their teleworking experience.

Click here to download the full report.
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"Telework is a family-friendly, business-friendly public policy that promotes workplace efficiency, reduces strain on transportation infrastructure, and provides an opportunity to 'green' Virginia," Governor Kaine said. "We encourage organizations and individuals in Virginia to take the Telework Day pledge and see how telework can help them improve productivity and business operations, while also benefiting the environment."

"I want to commend the Telework Exchange, Telework!VA and Governor Kaine for highlighting the benefits of telework," said Congressman John P. Sarbanes of Maryland, author of the Telework Improvements Act of 2009, legislation designed to expand Telework opportunities for Federal Government employees nationwide. "Telework can help mitigate congestion in high-traffic areas such as the National Capital Region-reducing carbon emissions from vehicles and improving the quality of life for all commuters."

"Today Congressman Rob Wittman marked Telework Day as a time to advocate for increased use of telework centers in the First District and across the National Capitol Region which now includes 14 such facilities sponsored by the General Services Administration."

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Monday, August 3, as Telework Day in Virginia and applaud Governor Tim Kaine on this initiative.

On this day, thousands of Virginians will perform a full day's work from their houses rather than their places of work. This practice empowers workers who feel that they can fulfill their obligations to their employer equally well from home as in a brick and mortar office. My colleagues, teleworking provides enormous benefits to employers and employees alike, as well as positive social and economic impacts. Teleworking, a practice which dates to the 1960s and then was dramatically expanded in the '90s, thanks to a host of networking innovations, can save employers premises costs and office overhead fees. If all eligible Federal employees teleworked 2 days per week, the Federal Government could realize $3.3 billion in savings in commuting costs annually and eliminate the emission of 2.7 million tons of pollutants each year.

Furthermore, it would provide an easy and necessary means of operational continuity should the Nation's Capital be the target of another horrific terror attack.

Teleworking can also increase productivity, typically 10 percent to 40 percent per person in large programs, by eliminating the often distressing and frustrating commute to and from work. For example, it eliminates commuting costs for employees because they do not have to pay for gas or public transportation. Given that the average round trip commute is 50miles and commuters spend an average of 264 hours per year commuting (66 minutes per day), Americans would be relieved of the burden of spending so much time on the road that could be better spent with their families. Through this practice, employees are allowed the freedom of working at their optimal times; some might be more productive in the morning while others might be more productive late at night.

Telework allows the workers to get into a personal daily rhythm and work when they please, thus maximizing individual liberty and occupational productivity.

At this time, States and localities all around the Nation are grappling with ways in which congestion on the roadways can be reduced. We could facilitate greater capacity for mass transportation-but that requires heavy infrastructure investment and the vision to plan long-term. We could also build more roadways-but that would simply invite more cars and more traffic, while doing nothing to improve the quality of life for millions of hardworking Americans.

Those options taken together do indeed form a necessary component of traffic mitigation, but they take both time and money. Teleworking is simple to implement, economical to operate, and reflects the many ways in which technology has allowed the spheres of personal and professional life to blend together. It allows for a young professional to care for her newborn child or a son to care for his ailing mother in the comfort of their own homes, without worrying what would happen should they have to spend a portion of their day in an office, away from those who depend on their presence.

I am proud to say that at the end of 2005, Fairfax County in Virginia was able to meet the region-wide target of having 20 percent of eligible workers engaged in teleworking. I would invite my colleagues to take note of teleworking's success and stand up for a worker's ability to set his or her own schedule, with the expectation that it will allow for a more flexible lifestyle without compromising productivity. Rather than relying on the desks, chairs, and file cabinets that defined the average employee's office a generation ago, telework allows Americans to bring the workplace to them, not the other way around.

$124,080

165,370

82.77

$6,204,004