Are there any studies that research possible losses in productivity when employees work from home? I don't have any empirical evidence but in my own experience and in my conversations with coworkers, there is a loss of producitivy when an employee works from home.

Pass the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-707

See the Idea titled "Telecommuting: Benefits the government, the employee, and the environment", I believe the productivity would increase (with proper controls in place to ensure there is no abuse of the system) and the benefits are undeniable.

More than 2 days a week could be possible for some. Myself, I know I could do all my duties and only would have to come into the office once every two weeks to drop off finished paperwork, and pick up new. The rest can be done online

Full time tele-commuting, in my past experience, ends up meaning less productivity. The occasional day is fine (ex: sick child at home), but full time just ends up wasting time

Most in my office actually production increases, there are less interuptions on assigned projects. If it's controlled correctly it can be a useful tool. The problem is the managers do not want to deal with revoking telecommuting to those who abuse it, so they limit it even though in most cases it's very productive and cost efficient.

I would be a horrible telecommuter. You might as well tell me not to come in that day!

Having worked full time from home in the past (as a software contractor), my experience is that it takes a fair amount of discipline to not get distracted while working at home.

On the other hand, it can let you work with less distractions. But, informally talking to other people (aka distractions) can be a very important type of communication. Also, it's hard to participate in meetings with more than just a few people via a speakerphone.

So my answer is, it *definitely* depends.

I think it's best if managers make the call on a case by case basis (depending on the type of work, depending on the maturity of the work skills of the employee)

I believe there is an issue with management is some organizations who have issues with individuals working at home. The issue is accountability. If management had systems in place to adequately monitor and oversee, then the concerns about whether it is productive or not would not be surfacing as much. If an employee is not productive then discipline the employee accordingly. If they are, then hurrah. If you are paid the salary of a manager and have oversight responsibility of these individuals and validation of work performed, then perhaps as a manager, individuals should enhance those efforts to assist more in ensuring this works versus griping about it.

What about the INCREASED costs associated with secured wireless networks, support, and servers for telecommuters? I smell new contracts...

Many of us are already geared up to telework ad hoc or to work while traveling, so the infrastructure is already there. It's pretty seamless and is not a cost issue, at least where I am. I do use my own internet and printer, though, and I'm sure a subset of people would pass along the cost of things they've already bought for personal use to the gov't.

How would this save space in the office? Would employees share desks when not telecommuting? Does this save money for the government or just for the employee (which I'm all for, don't get me wrong)?

I work from home one day per week and I love it. I would not want to work from home full time, but 3 out of 5 days would be perfect. I actually find that I am more productive when I am at home. There are actually less distractions then when I am at work. In my office, I work in a cube farm between two people who spend the better part of the day talking on the phone. I find that this is more distracting and less productive than when I am at home.

In addition, it is way better for the environment! I commute an hour each way every day and now I am one less person on the road one day a week!

The key is management. They need to trust their employees to do the job they are assigned. The federal government is filled with old school managers who believe if the person is not sitting there in the office they are not working. We need to get our act together and follow the private sector.

This really comes down to the employee. Supervisors know which employees they can extend this option to and which one they cannot. When we do telework we are required to submit a form documenting everything we have worked on during the day. Any products must be submitted at the end of the day so that the supervisor can review, if they choose, to see that you did the work you claim. We do not have to work our 8 hour shift as long as we put in 8 hours throughou the day.

Personally I am more productive many days when I work from home because I tend to put in more than 8 hours even though I do not claim over or comp time. If I am home in my PJs I have not problem responding to anyone at any time.

I used to work from home full-time and I accomplished a lot more than when I worked in the office. I wasn't constantly interrupted by people asking questions (when it would have been easy enough for them to find the answer without interrupting me) or distracted by others' phone calls and conversations.

I found I accomplished a lot more in a shorter amount of time without the constant stream of interruptions. This enabled me to accomplish more in 8 hours than I normally would at the office. As such, I was able to take on more projects and meet deadlines a lot sooner. I was accountable to my supervisor for the work I did each day, and she was able to verify what I accomplished. It can very easily be done in most offices; it's just a matter of changing the dominant paradigm.

I also commute an hour each way to work, so having that extra time would be a huge morale boost and reduce energy consumption. I had no issues with taking care of my own office equipment and it didn't end up costing that much.

Disaster Call Center or any type of Government call Center. The push should be to assign a lap top, soft phone (which is installed on lap top) and a in home computer connection. We have an a way to account for our Agents they log into a soft phone ie breaks, lunches etc (call center) and can be monitored from any location. I was on a at Home project where all calls we monitored remotely. Different codes for various functions... I believe there is a reluctance of middle Management as they are utilized as time keepers and the only time I see my Supervisor is when I receive a review, which is quarterly. It amazes me that you pass a back ground check and jump thru every hoop set before you over a 13 year period, but there is a feeling you much prove yourself every day. I can see the need for Supervision in a surge environment say 1 supervisor for everyone 10-20 people, but I have worked with 70 people in a disaster environment and did not have any issues. The time is now to put this in place… We have the technology. It is functional and available and believe you me there are huge cost savings.

There are some jobs that require alot of productivity and can be monitored easily but others can't. Only certain positions should be allowed to telecommute. There will be plenty of abuse otherwise I'm sorry to say.

A FREE, more-secure, Govt-developed, accredited, approved DoD-wide, telework solution is available from the Software Protection Initiative at https://spi.dod.mil/COOP/DoD_reg_SSL.htm. It results in all the above benefits. Called LPS-Remote Access, its burned to a $0.25 CD, boots almost any computer, is custom-built (for free) to match your organization's existing infrastructure... AND Tier 2 and 3 support is also free. Oh, and its won several awards too.

Strongly support this idea! Let's stop kidding ourselves... there is no correlation between productivity and and geography.

This program is a runaway train without proper oversight. The concept is right but I'm not sure it fits the federal workplace culture. It is something about my tax dollars being used to pay someone to stay home and am I really getting eight hours work for eight hours pay. There needs to be more "trust but verify" regulations put in this program if we're going to continue this effort.

I agree, my agency (FAA) has actually gone backwards after the last reorganization. Management has rescinded telecommuting for positions that had successfully telecommuted for years as well as procuring or building even larger offices in order to create more "cubicle kingdoms". Spending two plus hours on the road is a waste of time and resources not to mention contributing to that annoying addiction to oil...

For those of you that question whether you can remain focused on your work in a telecommuting environment or believe you require constant supervision in a standard bureaucratic office location in order to ensure your productivity level is adequate, I might suggest a career change (fast food comes to mind). Numerous studies have shown that telecommuters overall performance increases and they work longer with significantly fewer sick days taken. If a person is underperforming given the same work requirements regardless of location, then their telecommuting privilege should be revoked. Nevertheless, everyone that can perform at least a days worth of work telecommuting should be provided the opportunity to do so and prove they can regardless.

If you've gone to college (or even gradeschool for that matter) then you should have the ability to concentrate while at home. Remember homework?

In most telework policies, employees are prohibited from charging the Government for internet fees, computer expenses, or similar tax write-offs for working from home. So there is no increase in dollars expended from the Government for teleworkers. However, it is excellent for lessoning commuting expenses, parking fees, and pollution for excess cars on the road (not to mention increasing employee morale for decreased time commuting each week)

Employees should be judged on their performance based on work output. There are just supervisors out there who do not feel comfortable unless they have people physically in front of them to watch. That's more of a trust issue than a teleworking issue.

Our manager wont let anyone in the office telework... except for herself.

I was just told that we are cutting back on telecommuting. What a crock going from 3 days a pay period to 1.

Didn't the President just say yesterday we need to commute less?

My drive is 65 miles EACH way so you do the math.

It is ironic that President Obama recently ordered federal agencies to cut greenhouse gas pollution from indirect sources, such as emissions resulting from travel and commuting, by 13 percent during the next decade, when many of us in OMB have been told we may not telecommute. Policy wonk, bean counter, and budget analyst jobs are perfectly suited for home offices and yet many managers at OMB have control issues. Does the President intend to make his own budget and management office comply with his order?