Get a Life!: More about telework

If you want to get started on telework -– or keep it going -– you should check out the new telework.gov Web site launched by the Office of Personnel Management and Government Services Administration.

Most employees who want to telework know what is expected. Despite increasing evidence of the productivity of telework, the main problem in many offices seems to be the reluctance of managers to let staff get out of their eyesight and work at home.

The Web site lists 14 basic steps to help managers minimize administrative burden and make teleworking successful, such as establishing performance management measures and communicating expectations to staff.

One piece of advice from the site is to “avoid the pitfall of assuming that someone who is present and looks busy is actually accomplishing more work than someone who is not on-site.”

Topping a list of frequently asked questions is this one: What can I do if my manager won’t let me telework?

The answer is that if you are eligible to telework under your agency’s policy and have followed proper procedures, your telework coordinator can help you write a business-based proposal to submit to your manager.

You can also submit a question to the site. After all this time and legislative effort, it should be getting easier, not harder, to work out a telework arrangement.

Are you teleworking yet? Post a comment on this blog (registration required) or send an e-mail to letters@fcw.com (subject: Telework) and we will post it for you.