Nextgov reporter Gautham Nagesh on Thursday wrote about a new report from the state of Virginia that highlights lessons and statistics gathered from the state's participation in National Telework Day on Aug. 3. I wanted to highlight a couple of other findings from the report that pertain to the potential benefits of teleworking to the federal workforce:
- Teleworking one day per week could save teleworkers approximately $2,000 in savings annually.
- Teleworkers participating in Telework Day avoided driving more than 155,792 miles and removed 82.77 tons of pollutants from the air. Aside from being good for the environment, that's less wear and tear on your vehicle.
- Nearly three-quarters of teleworkers noted that they accomplished more by teleworking than on a typical day at the office, and 91 percent noted they are more likely to telework in the future.
- Those surveyed noted that the best benefits of teleworking are: work-life balance, productivity, recruitment and retention, and the environmental impact.
- Telework Day participants noted that the most important part of successful teleworking is ensuring the organization's leadership supports and encourages it. They also noted that planning work around teleworking is critical, since there are some work tasks that cannot be performed outside the office.
What are your thoughts on the survey's results? As IT workers, would your job allow you to perform your work outside of the office at least one day per week? What types of new technologies or tools would make teleworking more efficient? What are the most important elements of successful teleworking in your office?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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