Telework's Return-on-Investment

Being able to measure the return-on-investment of telework programs at federal agencies is key to moving telework forward, but less than half of agencies actually have these measurements in place, according to new poll results.

More than 530 registrants participated in a webinar sponsored by Telework Exchange on Thursday, and poll questions unveiled that the majority of agencies do not measure or analyze the success of their telework programs. Forty-three percent of participants said their agency does collect and analyze its telework program data, while 38 percent said they do not have a plan in place to collect data. Twenty percent of participants said that while their agency does not have a measurement plan in place, they are in the process of implementing one.

Despite the majority of agencies not having telework measurements in place, telework has many visible benefits, participants noted. The majority of participants (49 percent) said cost savings, such as real estate savings, commuter savings and lowered energy and utility costs, were the greatest benefit. Forty-five percent said increased employee productivity and work output was the greatest benefit, while 15 percent said reduced management operating costs via improved employee recruitment and retention and enhancement of morale were the biggest boons.

Meanwhile, respondents noted varying levels of telework participation rates. The highest percentage (23 percent) said more than 40 percent of their agency’s workforce currently teleworks, while only 3 percent said their agency does not have any workers who currently telework.