Telework provides flexibility in the locations where employees may perform their jobs. Some call it telecommuting, flexiwork, flexiplace, or enabling a remote work force. Telework lets employees work at home, at an alternate office closer to home, or at other defined locations.
Telework may be performed on a fixed schedule, but may also be done at random. The idea was born decades ago and is now widely used in private industry. Telework is popular with employees because it frees them from the drudgery of commuting and provides flexibility for personal activities like a visit to the doctor or attending a child’s school event.
Many employers provide opportunities for telework because it helps keep workers happy and saves organizations money through higher productivity and reduced overhead. The byproducts of telework include cutting traffic congestion and pollution. For the Federal government, perhaps the most important aspect of telework is that it can greatly facilitate continuity of operations (COOP) in times of crisis. Adoption of telework in the federal government began in 1990 and is on the upswing, but the level seriously lags private industry.
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