FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE: MAKING TELEWORK WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES Webinar Questions and Answers

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1 management + technology consulting FROM POLICY TO PRACTICE: MAKING TELEWORK WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES Webinar Questions and Answers Presented by: The Center for Organizational Excellence, Inc. In Partnership With: The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) The questions in this document were asked by participants during the webinar. Questions are grouped by topic area. Responses have been provided by our panelists Mr. Monshi R. Ramdass, Director USDA Diversity, Recruitment, and Work/Life Division and Ms. Tamalyn Smith, Investigations Branch Manager, BEP. Manager Approval / Buy In Question: Have the panelists also found that their pool of applicants has expanded because they offer telework? In other words, the right staff may not be located in your own backyard. Has this been a realized benefit for those agencies providing telework to all staff? At the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), we haven t yet tracked recruitment efforts to work life programs like telework but we are consistently hearing that the generation now entering the workforce definitely values flexibility. We have a few employees who exclusively telework as part of our eworkplace program. Question: I manage 8 contract staff. They could all easily and successfully telework, at a minimum 3 days a week. My manager won't allow this. How can I influence him? As the managers emphasized on the webinar, make your case with facts explain what duties can be successfully performed remotely and what the benefits in productivity will be from allowing employees to telework. Perhaps suggest beginning with a pilot program for the team to ease into the change gradually. Show him the cost savings and reduced office space by providing a weekly schedule of space sharing. Question: How do you handle management that treats teleworkers differently than those in the office? Also, should it be a part of an individual's performance plan? Equity in treatment is critical whether employees are in the office or not. Managers are accountable for helping their employees work successfully no matter where they are there shouldn t be more stipulations for those outside of the office except perhaps better notice on when employees will be away from their computers as necessary for personal appointments, etc. Telework doesn t necessarily

2 need to be a part of an employee s performance plan but by having goals and measures laid out in performance plans, managers and employees know what needs to be accomplished regardless of where work is being performed. Performance of one s job should be in your performance plan not where you work from. Management can be trained to overcome attitudinal barriers by telework champions. Question: Could you have Mika expand on what she does as a manager to create high performers? It s all about trust, communication and strong performance measures/expectations which take time to be developed, in a collaborative, open environment. The goal is to trust employees until they prove you otherwise. Clearly communicate expectations, results desired and identify deficiencies or challenges in order to address. This fosters an open, honest and equitable work environment where employees feel valued, engaged and a part of the process. Question: How can you address a manager or management chain that does not allow the flexibility that has been presented here today? A small amount of flexibility, even the ability to telework once per year to accomplish training or desk work should be possible even if support for telework and flexible work arrangements isn t yet widespread. Share the benefits of telework using your organization s specific metrics and suggest beginning with a pilot program. Having telework champions within your organization is helpful. Telework works best when supported from the top. Telework Policies / Process Question: What is the difference between a teleworker and a virtual worker? I know what a teleworker is...but not sure the definition of a "virtual" worker. At BEP, teleworkers, virtual workers and remote workers are all defined the same performing work outside the typical worksite (most often employees homes.) For USDA a Virtual worker teleworks 100% from a distant location where travel to and from work is not possible. Question: How many days would an employee be able to work from home while on an alternative work schedule? This would depend on your agency specific policy along with the needs of your office. BEP employees who work an AWS schedule generally telework 1 2 days per week. Question: I was told that if I have a Telework agreement I can never get administrative leave for emergencies or weather. Is this true? I don't always take my laptop home. BEP follows OPM s telework guidelines, outlined here: We allow employees to access our Virtual Private Network (VPN) from a BEP laptop or their home computers.

3 From what OPM states, your Telework agreement must specifically mention your requirement to telework in emergency or weather situations if it applies. In most cases, employees who can telework don t have to telework unless that requirement is outlined in their Telework agreement. Question: What does flexibility really mean in a telework situation? Telework allows employees more flexibility to manage their work and life priorities which in turn promotes employee engagement. Employees who can save time by not commuting to their worksites or who can take care of personal appointments during the day and still accomplish their work assignments have flexibility that employees who come into the office everyday may not have as easily. The Manager can define flexibility. As a manager (at USDA), I approve changes to telework days. For example, if an employee teleworks on a certain day, I can switch the days based on a specific/situational request. Question: Please explain more of the "How to" pieces of the Telework process. We're receiving plenty of push from the upper management to encourage teleworking already. I know it's a good thing. How do I implement it? Please review OPM s Guide to Telework in the Federal Government ( and then you can customize it to fit your agency/company. Equipment / Infrastructure Question: Are there certain wireless requirements to telework? If the employee does not have wireless are they required to get that set up themselves? Each agency is different. If you don t have the equipment to access your work then it may not be a good idea to telework, unless you take work home and to accomplish. You need to be resourced to telework by your management. BEP doesn t have wireless requirements but employees are required to have a modem which each individual sets up with their home internet provider. Question: How do we pay for the infrastructure required to enable employees to Telework? It depends on your agency. We d suggest getting in touch with your IT department to understand what infrastructure may be required and the associated costs. At BEP, besides IT personnel support (Help Desk) for teleworkers, employees assume the costs of internet connections and as approved, teleworkers receive laptops instead of a desktop machine (not both). As a manager (at USDA), I provide Latops and CITRIX keys for my employees to access work and desktops from any locations/computer via secured means. In addition, my employees can access surplus office equipment from USDA. However, my employees have to pick up the equipment.

4 Question: What if some of my employees use desktop computers due to needed software restrictions. Is there anyway of allowing employees access to the USDA client online through use of their home computer? There are several different options available for teleworkers at USDA, but many depend on the Agency, the mission requirements and technology available. We suggest ensuring you make contact with your Agency level Telework Coordinator specifically to address your particular concerns and challenges. You can find the list of coordinators on the DM Work/Life and Wellness Website or from the USDA Work/Life and Wellness community homepage. or at our USDA Connect community page: Work/Life and Wellness or 7d3f 4528 b36a 7428bc359dc0&ftHelpTip=true. Otherwise, send us an to: Question: I telework from home. My question is as far as furniture, I have asked if access furniture from closed offices if I can use at home for telework after all COF's have gotten what they wanted. I have been told no, if furniture is sent to the Potters House, I can go there and purchase it. I do not want furniture for my personal use, for teleworking only. There have been furniture given to other Government Agencies. Should I be able to have access furniture to telework? Excess property, furniture and government equipment may be ear marked for use in a Telework home office. Please visit the following website for details on the USDA Central Excess Property Operation (CEPO) or contact your Agency level Telework Coordinator directly, found on our website, for more details and information. Eligibility / Workload / Performance Question: Telework is not an option for all employees. My staff is responsible for the maintenance and operation of laboratories/office/greenhouse structures. Taking out the trash, replacing light bulbs and watering plants can't be done virtually. Not all employee job series CAN be remote. There are people that must be on site. While this is true, we d argue that onsite employees may be able to telework infrequently to accomplish training or desk work, even if just once per year. Question: What advice you can give to those who work in a laboratory or in a situation that is not conducive to taking work home? How do you telework when the work does not transfer to home? How can we make that flexibility work for these folks? Talk to the employees and their supervisors and see what work may be able to be accomplished at home, even if very infrequently (e.g., mandatory training, reports, IDPs). If telework isn t feasible, are there other forms of flexibility (Alternate Work Schedules, job sharing, etc.) that can be introduced to increase work life effectiveness in your environment?

5 Question: We see an increased work load of the non teleworkers due to drop in customers, phone questions, deliveries and many other interruptions spread over fewer people. How do you handle this increased work for the frustrated few left in the office? There are many different extra jobs that the non teleworker may have to do. What can you do with this situation? This is a real outcome of telework, so what can you do about it? The idea of telework is to raise productivity through increased flexibility, not to burden those left in the office. Good management will prevent the increased work load of non teleworkers. For example, create a schedule that will allow everyone to telework on a rotational basis so that everyone will have the opportunity to telework and cover the office. Telework is based on the ability to work from another location. If that cannot be accomplished then management has to make the decision. At BEP, we make sure to spread workloads as evenly as possibly by rotating who is in and out of the office during the week. Question: In my experience, many folks who telework are the dead wood or low performers (not in my group). They never were around before telework either, so how do you deal with that? Low performers should not be allowed to telework, plain and simple. All employees should be held accountable to the same performance standards regardless of work location. Please work with low performers through Individual Development Plans and Performance plans. If they can t cut the mustard then fire them. Additional Q&A about Telework is on OPM s website at: Suggested Reading: Making Telework Work by Evan H, Offstein and Jason M. Morwich.