Private-sector support for telecommuting grows

air pollution, and gasoline prices increase the attraction of telecommuting, and the 2008 CDW Telework Report also finds that the telecommuting option could improve employee recruitment, satisfaction, and retention. In fact, 50 percent of federal employees and 40 percent of private-sector employees say that the option to telecommute would influence their decision to remain with their employer or take a new job. Moreover, broad telecommuting adoption could ensure the continuity of government and business operations in the aftermath of a major catastrophe, or even for the duration of a minor disruptive event — such as snowstorms, tornadoes, or wildfires — and this year’s survey finds mixed news on the topic of continuity planning. In the private sector, continuity of operations capability increased but still trails the feds, with 46 percent of private-sector employees indicating that they could continue working during a disruption, up from 33 percent in 2007. Consistent with a marked decrease in federal telework eligibility, federal employees’ ability to continue to work remotely in the event of a natural or man-made disaster has declined significantly since 2007, with 59 percent of Federal employees indicating that they could telework during a disruption, down from 75 percent in 2007. The value of telecommuting to continuity of operations is clear, with more than half of federal employees who can continue working during a disruption indicating that they are eligible to telework. In the private sector, the benefit is even more dramatic, with more than 70 percent of employees who can continue working indicating that their company has a telework program.

Federal law requires agencies to enable telework for 100 percent of eligible employees. Drivers for Federal telework adoption include military base closings and realignments, traffic congestion around major metropolitan areas, and environmental impacts, as well as enabling productivity for field workers and planning for continuity of operations in the event of natural or man-made catastrophes. Alongside the increase in technical support for teleworkers, the percentage of federal employees eligible to work remotely dipped to 40 percent from its high of 55 percent in 2006. The drop coincides with continuing concern about IT security as agencies balance the needs of an increasingly mobile workforce with the requirement to ensure the security of government networks and data. “More stringent IT security policies are controlling telework expansion in the Federal government,” said Andy Lausch, senior director of federal sales for CDW-G. “Federal agencies recognize that IT security and telework can co-exist, and they are carefully managing telework programs hand-in-hand with layered technology solutions that protect data and networks while enabling the increased productivity and flexibility that telework affords.”

Note that for purposes of the survey, CDW defines “telecommuting” (or “telework”) as employees doing their current job during regular work hours from home or another location away from the employer’s primary work locations.