The legislation for telework provided both OPM and GSA with leadership  roles in the implementation of telework in the federal government. OPM, GSA, FEMA, and FPS Have Provided Agencies with Guidance Related to Using Telework during Emergencies

OPM, GSA, FEMA, and FPS offer a host of guidance on telework or  telework-related emergency planning. Several of these guidance  documents have expanded significantly in recent years, broadening the  scope of the topics that they address and describing broader  responsibilities for the lead agencies. According to an OPM  official, its dismissal and closure procedures are updated annually. Current Governmentwide Guidance Does Not Provide a Definition or Set of Practices for Incorporating Telework into Continuity and Emergency Planning

Our review of the OPM, GSA, FEMA, and FPS governmentwide guidance  on telework and telework-related emergency planning found that none of  the documents provided a definition of what constitutes incorporating  telework into continuity and emergency planning or operations, or a  cohesive set of practices that agencies could use to achieve this type of  incorporation. This lack of a definition or description calls into question the reliability of  the survey results for assessing agencies’ progress. In reviewing several current OPM, GSA, FEMA, and FPS guidance  documents, we found a number of practices that could help agencies  incorporate telework into aspects of their continuity or emergency  planning. These practices address a variety of  operational areas, such as human capital, training, facilities, testing, and  technology infrastructure. However, it would be difficult for an agency to  use these practices to help achieve telework incorporation and assess  their progress. Moreover, according to their 2003 MOU, OPM  and GSA agreed to work together to help agencies use IT to support  telework and facilitate the CIOs involvement in related planning. Following the  extended closings of federal agencies in the Washington, D.C., area  during the February 2010 snowstorms, OPM updated the Dismissal  Guide to introduce “unscheduled telework,” a new option for federal  employees to telework, to the extent possible, when severe weather  conditions or other circumstances disrupt commuting. In addition, OPM officials said they consulted with unions, the  Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and the FEMA Office  of National Capital Region Coordination, among others. FEMA also provided updated guidance in 2010 to agencies on developing  their continuity plans. In September and October 2010, NCP officials e- mailed more than 100 members of the interagency community, including  both continuity coordinators and continuity planners, requesting  comments on the updated template draft. Consequently, GSA officials did not offer any governmentwide guidance  on ways to address infrastructure limitations or provide direct assistance  to agencies regarding the adequacy of their IT infrastructure. Conclusions

The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 requires agencies to incorporate  telework into their COOP plans. In  addition, these guidance documents suggest practices drawn from other  lead agencies’ guidance. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report (1) describes the guidance that the Office of Personnel  Management (OPM), General Services Administration (GSA), Federal  Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Federal Protective  Service (FPS) have issued pertaining to the use of telework during  emergencies; (2) assesses the extent to which OPM’s recent reviews of  the agencies’ telework policies and programs address the incorporation of  telework into continuity plans, and the extent to which OPM, FEMA, GSA,  and FPS offer guidance on incorporating telework into emergency and  continuity planning; and (3) assesses the extent to which OPM and FEMA  coordinated with other agencies on the development of their recently  released guidance documents pertaining to the use of telework during  emergencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

When historic snowstorms forced lengthy closings of federal offices in the National Capital Region in 2010, thousands of employees continued to work from their homes, making clear the potential of telework in mitigating the effects of emergencies. GAO was asked to (1) describe the guidance lead agencies have issued pertaining to the use of telework during emergencies; (2) describe Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other assessments related to agencies' incorporation of telework into emergency or continuity planning, and the extent to which the lead agencies have provided definitions and practices to support agency planning; and (3) assess the extent to which OPM and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) coordinated with other agencies on recent guidance documents. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed relevant statutes, regulations, guidance documents, and OPM's telework survey methodology, and interviewed key officials of agencies providing telework and telework-related emergency guidance.

What GAO Found

OPM, the General Services Administration (GSA), FEMA, and the Federal Protective Service (FPS) offer a host of telework and telework-related emergency guidance. These lead agencies provide advice to other federal agencies through regulations, directives, guides, bulletins, and other documents. Several of these guidance documents have expanded significantly in recent years, broadening the scope of the topics that they address and describing broader responsibilities for the lead agencies. The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 requires agencies to incorporate telework policies into their continuity of operations plans, but recent OPM reviews and other agency reports identify potential problems agencies may face in achieving this incorporation in various operational areas. GAO's review of the OPM, GSA, FEMA, and FPS governmentwide guidance on telework or telework-related emergency planning found that none of the documents provide a definition of what constitutes incorporating telework into continuity and emergency planning or a cohesive set of practices that agencies could use to achieve this type of incorporation. Additionally, this lack of a definition or description calls into question the reliability of the results of a survey OPM annually conducts to assess agencies' progress. In reviewing several lead-agency guidance documents, GAO found a number of practices, in areas such as information technology (IT) infrastructure and testing, that could help agencies incorporate telework in aspects of their continuity or emergency planning. However, because the practices are scattered among various documents principally concerned with other matters, it would be difficult for an agency to use these practices to help achieve telework incorporation and assess its progress. Both OPM and FEMA coordinated the development of their recent guidance. OPM updated its Washington, D.C., area dismissal and closure procedures to introduce "unscheduled telework," a new option for federal employees to telework when emergencies disrupt commuting. While developing these procedures, OPM officials reported coordinating with GSA, agency human-capital officials, FEMA, unions, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, among others. However, OPM and GSA did not work together to reach out to agency chief information officers regarding potential agency capacity limitations. Consequently, officials did not offer any governmentwide guidance on ways to address IT infrastructure limitations or provide direct assistance to agencies regarding the adequacy of their IT infrastructure. In February 2011, FEMA provided agencies with more-detailed guidance for developing continuity plans. According to FEMA officials, in 2010 they shared a draft of the guidance with the interagency community, including both continuity coordinators and continuity planners, and GSA.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that OPM consult with other lead agencies to develop a definition and cohesive set of practices for incorporating telework into emergency and continuity planning; improve its related data collection; and establish an interagency coordination process for guidance. OPM concurred with GAO's recommendations.