With snow forcing federal agencies in the Washington area to open two hours late on Thursday morning, it seems like a perfect time to talk telework. Last month, the Office of Personnel Management announced a new policy that permits more employees to work from home during severe weather. The new policy adjusts the status previously known as "open with unscheduled leave" to "the option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework," allowing employees with telework agreements to choose to work outside the office rather than use personal leave.
Did you telework on Thursday as a result of the new policy? What are your thoughts?
Meanwhile, in an effort to promote the benefits of teleworking, the Telework Exchange is calling on federal agencies, organizations and individuals to participate in Telework Week, which runs Feb. 14-18.
The Telework Exchange hopes the weeklong effort will show the benefits of teleworking -- such as increased workforce productivity and commuter cost savings -- particularly in light of a new law that requires agencies to develop telework policies and expand the number of employees eligible to telework. As of Thursday, 5,852 pledges had been made on the Telework Exchange's website.
Want to make a pledge to telework during Telework Week? Click here.
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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