Steven Barr sums it up perfectly in his headline Rep. Wolf Cracks the Whip to Get Agencies Moving on Telework (Washington Post, Thursday, June 24, 2004). The whip, in this case, is $5 million taken out of the budgets of certain agencies, unless they can show that 100% of their eligible employees have been given the option to telework at least one day a week. Affected agencies have 2 months to show progress, and are required to submit quarterly reports and designate a telework coordinator.

Rep. Tom Davis is pushing for more telework as well: "Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), the House Government Reform Committee chairman, has scheduled a hearing for July 8 on the issue. A spokesman said Davis will ask key federal agencies and some private-sector employers to testify. "

Barr statest that "By most accounts, agencies have moved slowly because of concerns that employees who work at home may be less productive and because federal managers are reluctant to let employees work out of their sight." That's one of the key problems that the Telework Consortium hopes to address with its virtual presence pilot projects - a topic we hope to address at the July 8 hearings.

10:54:28 AM    
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