Telework Exchange

Wouldn't it be great if you could walk up to your supervisor and ask to telework without worry and with a minimum of negotiation? In some organizations that may be possible, but generally speaking, there still is a need to present and justify your telework request carefully.

In this article, we will look at ways to complete your telework request or telework agreement form to increase your chance of approval. The first and most important strategy is to define how your telework arrangement will benefit your supervisor and your organization. In your request, you can specifically explain that your telework arrangement will:

• Increase your available time to perform your work. This may seem obvious, but it is clearly worth pointing out. If you are not sitting in rush hour traffic or on a commuter bus or train for one or more hours each day, you could instead be responding to work e-mails or carrying out other job-related activities
• Improve your ability to concentrate on work activities that require special focus – analytical work, report writing, and the like. When you are working from a home office, you do not experience the same interruptions that typically occur in the primary workplace. This extended quiet time can enhance the quality and timeliness of your work.
• Lessen your use of leave, thus increasing your "presenteeism." This is particularly true for employees who have lengthy and arduous commutes. If you can schedule a doctor's appointment or home repair while teleworking, you can greatly reduce your need to take extended leave. In other words, instead of taking the day off or leaving work mid-day to get home in time for that doctor's visit, you can manage to reduce leave use to one or two hours. This benefits your organization because you are then able to spend more dedicated time to getting your work done.
• Increase your readiness to perform your job during a COOP emergency. Effectively teleworking requires practice and you certainly should not be attempting to telework for the first time in the midst of a chaotic, emergency situation. A regular telework schedule prepares you, and your organizations, to better carry out work during a business continuity situation.
• Reduce your agency's "carbon footprint" and level of greenhouse gas emissions. On October 5, 2009, President Obama issued an Executive Order that requires Federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency – among other environmental goals – by 2020. Your agency can support the Administration's directive by expanding telework use among staff. Check the "Gizmo" on www.teleworkexchange.com and calculate how much your telework arrangement could reduce emissions and include the personalized report with your request. One teleworker can make a difference! In a recent study, it was determined that just 75 teleworkers working from home one to two days per week would save $14,254 in fuel costs per year while the reduction in pollutants would be in the range of 10.65 tons annually
• Improve your work-life balance. Research has demonstrated that employees who are less stressed experience fewer health problems and use fewer hours of sick leave. Therefore, any improvement in your ability to manage various work and life responsibilities will improve your overall morale and likely, your performance

This is not an exhaustive list. With a little bit of creativity and a careful review of your work responsibilities and commuting situation, you may come up with more organizational benefits associated with you teleworking regularly. One of the most important features of any request is a definitive statement about your willingness to be flexible. By offering a plan for regular communication with your supervisor and co-workers, tracking of your assignments, and willingness to change your telework schedule to accommodate "on campus" meetings, you offer your supervisor assurance of your commitment and professionalism, which hopefully translates into his or her support of your request.