Survey: More feds choose telework for the time savings, not work-life balance

When employees are asked what they like most about telework, many bring up the ability to enjoy greater work-life balance. But according to a new survey by FedScoop, many IT professionals are all about the more practical aspects of working virtually.

In the survey, almost 90 percent chose the time-saving component of working remotely over more time with family (56 percent) as their main reason for desiring it, and 72 percent said they like telework because it decreases the carbon footprint. 

FedScoop polled 300 IT executives from both government and industry to get a sense of the evolving perspectives and practices of telework. The majority of the respondents (54 percent) were federal employees, most of whom worked for an organization with 5,000 or fewer workers.

Other interesting findings include:

- 90 percent of federal managers trust their team to telework, but only 61 percent of federal employees said their managers allow them to work remotely.

- 91 percent of federal employees are interested in telework, and 97 percent feel they are qualified to do so.

- 43 percent of the surveyed federal employees said their current equipment does not support telework. For private sector respondents, that number was 13 percent.

- 61 percent of federal employees said technology can fully replace traditional meetings.

- 81 percent of federal employees said they have implemented or tested a continuity of operations plan.