Telework Exchange

In 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a 28-page internal report highlighting its telework successes and best practices in overcoming various cultural and technical challenges. The report has been so well received and in demand throughout the government, USPTO officials recently decided to post it on the agency's public Web site.

"The beauty of this report is that it provides an easy-to-read resource that speaks to how we actually – soup to nuts – got our telework initiatives going and dealt with certain challenges, including security," explains Danette R. Campbell, Senior Advisor for Telework at USPTO. She noted that she has sent the report to USPTO executives and employees, as well as Congressional staff and a number of other Federal agency officials who have questions about telework or want her advice on program implementation. "When they call me, I can say, 'Well, let me send you a PDF of our report first, and then put your questions together and we'll talk.' Often, the report answers all of their questions."

Campbell says that the report initially was intended to be a convenient reference guide for USPTO employees, managers, and executives. However, it has offered a number of other unexpected benefits, internally and across other agencies.

The report demonstrates how telework can be an effective recruiting tool and position USPTO as an employer of choice, as the report provides potential employees with an overview of the USPTO telework initiatives. It has enabled USPTO business units to easily build on the best practices and lessons learned from telework programs already underway at the agency. And the guide helps USPTO serve as a reference model for those seeking to encourage broader telework in their government organizations.

The USPTO plans to publish a 2009 telework annual report. Campbell expects the 2009 edition to be available in March 2010.

Although, like agency telework programs, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all annual telework report, Campbell believes agencies can use the USPTO publication as a template for building their own telework report with their own highlights, program objectives, and lessons learned.

"To have something like this compiled and published every year is a wonderful way to show executives, managers, and telework staff how much their programs are progressing from year-to-year," Campbell says. "And it's a wonderful way to tout how telework can help further an agency’s mission."

To view the USPTO 2008 Telework Annual Report, visit
www.teleworkexchange.com/pdfs/uspto_2008_telework_annual_report.pdf.