Teleworking Through the Snow

Another minor snowstorm is expected to hit the Washington, D.C., area this evening. The Office of Personnel Management has authorized feds to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework in order to get off the roads early and avoid potential traffic delays.

This adds to the conversation about federal telework and whether agencies are better prepared this year to enable continuity of operations through weather disruptions thanks to the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act. I wrote last week that while many agencies are embracing telework as a result of the 2010 law, some are having difficulty determining what roles and jobs can be completed while working remotely, while other agencies are challenged by quantifying telework's return on investment.

Tom Simmons, vice president for federal systems at Citrix, told Wired Workplace that while agencies are certainly making progress, many are challenged by the fact that the 2010 mandate came with no funding. "One of the big challenges for agencies to implement telework is 'how do I pay for it?' " he said. "How do I support the infrastructure for remote work in time of planned telework? Or how do I support unplanned telework?"

The cultural issues are still there as well, though not the same degree as they used to be, Simmons added. "As folks are being asked to do more away from the office, those kinds of things are being refined," he said. "There's a new generation of workers coming into the government workforce who are brought up working from anywhere, and they're demanding that kind of work style in their work environment. All of that has a positive impact on the adoption of telework."

What are your plans for today? Must you take unscheduled leave to get an early start against the traffic, or do you have the option to telework? Has the 2010 telework law made this possible?