Enough Tools to Telework?

Ninety-three percent of federal employees believe it is important that they continue working during an emergency or disaster, and a clear majority of those employees believe they have the tools and resources to function remotely, according to a new study by the Government Business Council, a part of Government Executive Media Group, and CDW Government.

The study, released Monday, found that if faced with an emergency or disaster, more than half of federal employees could function remotely for more than six days, while an additional 20 percent said they could accomplish critical tasks from an alternate location for one to five days.

Still, federal employees cited a number of challenges that prevent their agency from being better prepared to continue operations in the event of a disaster or emergency. For example, 31 percent said telework eligibility requirements and a lack of coordination among agency decision-makers have hampered preparation, while 62 percent said that communication technology like cell phones and wired phones would not work from a remote location. Federal employees also noted concern that data would not be accessible remotely and that servers and networks would be overloaded.

In addition, 83 percent of respondents noted that data backup and recovery systems are essential in the event of a system failure, pointing to a critical need in government to enable real-time data center failover during a disruption, the study found.

Agencies also are not doing enough to ensure employees are trained on the policies and resources available during a government shutdown, the study found. For example, just 57 percent of respondents said they were aware that their agency has a continuity-of-operation plan, while 43 percent said their agency provides training on such plans. Forty percent said their agency provides IT resources in emergency situations.

A round of snowstorms in the Washington, D.C., area this past winter shut down the government for nearly one week, and it was of surprise to many that several federal employees could continue to function remotely, even if they were not participating in an agency telework program. The Office of Personnel Management estimated that the cost of lost productivity during the shutdown was $70 million, rather than $120 million, because more workers teleworked from home than was anticipated.

Do you have the tools and resources necessary to work remotely in an emergency or disaster situation, even if you do not currently participate in an agency telework program? What challenges or barriers prevent your agency from effectively operating remotely during a government shutdown?

Also, don't forget to sign up for Thursday's webinar on what's next for federal telework.