Private sector can learn from feds' telework implementation

The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 has pressured government agencies to figure out more quickly such questions as how to determine if an employee is eligible to telework, putting the government in the rare position of being able to share some advice with industry, writes Jessica Stillman on Gigaom.com.

InfoStreet CEO Siamak Farah told the website that other lessons the government has learned, pertaining to the security of cloud computing and to worker expectations, can also instruct private businesses facing similar questions.

Regarding eligibilty, Farah offered a heart surgeon as an example of someone clearly not eligible to telework. But, Stillman writes, most employees are not so easy to assess. "While Farah’s example may make determining eligibility sound simple, the government’s experience shows this is actually one of the tougher aspects of implementing web work and an important foundation for a successful telework program," she writes.