	Congress Has Established a Statutory Framework to Promote Agency Telework Programs and Increase Employee Participation

Through a number of legislative actions, Congress has indicated its desire  that agencies create telework programs to accomplish a number of  positive outcomes. 106-346 in October 2000,  which provides the current mandate for telework in the executive branch  of the federal government by requiring each executive agency to establish  a policy under which eligible employees may participate in telework to the  maximum extent possible without diminishing employee performance. The legislative framework has provided both the General Services  Administration (GSA) and OPM with lead roles for the governmentwide  telework initiative, to provide services and resources to support and  encourage telework, including providing guidance to agencies in  developing their program procedures. Although agency telework policies meet common requirements and often  share some common characteristics, each agency is responsible for  developing its own policy to fit its mission and culture. Better Performance Measures and Program Evaluations Could Improve the Assessment of Telework in the Federal Government

In our 2003 study of telework in the federal government, we identified 25  key practices that federal agencies should implement in developing their  telework programs. Among those were several practices closely aligned with managing for  program results, including:    developing a business case for implementing a telework program;    establishing measurable telework program goals;    establishing processes, procedures, and/or a tracking system to collect  data to evaluate the telework program; and  identifying problems and/or issues with the telework program and making  appropriate adjustments. None of the four agencies we reviewed, however, had effectively  implemented this practice. None of the five agencies we looked at had  the capability to track who was actually teleworking or how frequently,  despite the fact that the fiscal year 2005 consolidated appropriations act  covering those agencies required each of them to provide a quarterly  report to Congress on the status of its telework program, including the  number of federal employees participating in its program. The Telework Enhancement Act of 2007, S. 1000, Addresses Key Telework Issues, but Some Provisions Merit Additional Consideration

S. 1000 is intended to enhance the existing legislative framework and  provides that all employees of executive agencies are eligible for telework  except in some circumstances related to an employee’s duties and  functions. The bill further recognizes the importance of  leadership in promoting an agency’s telework program by requiring the  appointment of a senior-level management official to perform several  functions to promote and enhance telework opportunities. The bill  would extend coverage of these telework initiatives to the legislative and  judicial branches.
Why GAO Did This Study

Telework continues to receive attention within Congress and federal agencies as a human capital strategy that offers various flexibilities to both employers and employees, including the capacity to continue operations during emergency events, as well as benefits to society, such as decreased energy use and pollution. This statement highlights some of GAO's prior work on federal telework programs, including key practices for successful implementation of telework initiatives, identified in a 2003 GAO report and a 2005 GAO analysis of telework program definitions and methods in five federal agencies. In addition, the statement discusses GAO observations on the Telework Enhancement Act of 2007, S. 1000.

What GAO Found

Through a number of legislative actions, Congress has indicated its desire that agencies create telework programs to accomplish a number of positive outcomes. Many of the current federal programs were developed in response to a 2000 law that required each executive branch agency to establish a telework policy under which eligible employees may participate in telecommuting to the maximum extent possible without diminishing employee performance. The legislative framework has provided the OPM and the General Services Administration (GSA) with lead roles for the governmentwide telework initiative, providing services and resources to support and encourage telework. Although agency telework policies meet common requirements and often share characteristics, each agency is responsible for developing its own policy to fit its mission and culture. In a 2003 report, GAO identified a number of key practices that federal agencies should implement in developing their telework programs. Four of these were closely aligned with managing for program results: (1) developing a business case for telework, (2) establishing measurable telework program goals, (3) establishing systems to collect data for telework program evaluation, and (4) identifying problems and making appropriate adjustments. None of the four agencies we reviewed, however, had effectively implemented any of these practices. In a related review of five other agencies in 2005, GAO reported that none of the agencies had the capability to track who was actually teleworking or how frequently, relying mostly on the number of telework agreements as the measure of program participation. S. 1000 is intended to enhance the existing legislative framework and provides that all employees of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches are eligible for telework except in some circumstances related to an employee's duties and functions. The bill also recognizes the importance of leadership in promoting an agency's telework program by requiring the appointment of a senior-level management official to perform several functions to promote and enhance telework opportunities. GAO's statement suggests changes to the assignment of responsibilities for rating and reporting along with changes to make the responsibilities for heads of agency and entities in the legislative and judicial branches more consistent with those of executive branch officials. The statement also points out several provisions of S. 1000 that are not clear in relation to existing legislation.