Telework Exchange

The number and percentage of Federal employees teleworking on a regular basis increased in 2008 over 2007, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reported to Congress in September. However, noted OPM Director John Berry in a written message introducing the annual findings: "We have significant work ahead to develop a strong telework culture."

OPM reported that 102,900 employees from 78 agencies, or 5.24 percent of the total Federal workforce, teleworked on a regular or occasional basis in 2008. That's an increase of 8.72 percent over 2007.

Among the agencies that saw a significant increase in teleworkers were:

• Census Bureau, which rocketed from 12 teleworkers in 2007 to 276 in 2008, a 2,200 percent increase
• General Services Administration, which went from 1,727 teleworkers in 2007 to 4,754 in 2008, an increase of 175 percent
• Department of Veterans Affairs, which increased its number of teleworkers from 1,788 in 2007 to 4,754 in 2008, a 132 percent jump
• U.S. Geological Survey, which grew its teleworker count by 86 percent, going from 4,750 teleworkers in 2007 to 8,857 in 2008
• Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), which jumped almost 80 percent as it increased its number of teleworkers from 1,524 to 2,742
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which gained 174 teleworkers in 2008, a 65 percent increase over 2007
• • Department of the Interior, which jumped from 6,624 teleworkers in 2007 to 10,759 in 2008, a bump of 62.4 percent

Other significant findings include the following:

• 48 agencies (61 percent) reported an increase in their overall telework numbers
• 44 agencies, or more than half, have fully integrated telework into their Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans
• The frequency of teleworking rose, with the number of employees teleworking three or more days jumping 8.8 percent to reach 13,365 employees in 2008
• Employee morale, productivity/performance, transportation and human capital were cited by agency respondents as the biggest benefits of telework

To view “Status of Telework in the Federal Government, August 2009” in its entirety, including individual agency information, visit www.telework.gov/Reports_and_Studies/Annual_Reports/2009teleworkreport.pdf.