Survey: Federal telework gains momentum

Telework is gaining momentum within the government, with nearly 70 percent of public-sector workers saying they work remotely at least some of the time, according to a new survey.

Microsoft’s recent report, The Future of Government Work, polled more than 250 federal, state and local government employees and government contractors on their attitudes and behaviors around telework. The survey revealed that more than 30 percent of government workers said their job satisfaction and productivity grew after they adopted telework.

The findings also showed that managers of teleworkers are more enthusiastic about the virtual way of working. Nearly 50 percent of respondents said their manager had an attitude of “bring it on,” while one-fourth said their managers, while skeptical, were willing to try telework.

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However, teleworkers continue to face challenges in their daily routines. Almost 30 percent of respondents said telework puts a damper on collaboration, and another third said they needed face time with colleagues to be productive in tasks that demanded more complex collaboration. Additionally, 19 percent found it difficult to schedule meetings.

As for communications methods, 49 percent said they prefer to email colleagues, while 22 percent said they opt to pick up the phone. More respondents also chose in-person meetings over chat and instant messaging. Only 2 percent elected to communicate via and Intranet page where agency employees can post shared documents.