Retaining staff is a full-time job for organizations. Turnover rates to replace an employee can cost double his/her salary–an expensive undertaking, indeed. With the threat of winter storms upon us, many organizations have turned to telework as a viable option. Experts agree that telework has become more of a necessity to keep operations running smoothly and less of a perk to keep employees satisfied.
Recently published results from OPM’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey emphasize this fact quite clearly. Summarized findings from this government-wide survey are as follows, as published in blogs by FedTech Magazine and NextGov:
- The survey includes feedback from nearly 400,000 federal employees across 82 agencies about their job satisfaction and workplace culture.
- Despite the alleged scandal at the Patent and Trademark Office, the number of federal employees who telework is up slightly this year.
- Of those who participate in telework programs, 77 percent said they are satisfied with the opportunities they have to work remotely. Many employees find that the telework option allows them more flexibility in scheduling and assists them in meeting the needs of the agency.
- 32% do not telework because they have to be physically present on the job.
- 20% do not telework because they did not receive approval, even though they have a job conducive to telework.
- 13% do not telework because they choose not to telework.
- 10% telework one or two days per week, while another 4% telework three or more days per week.
- 5% do not telework because of technical issues.
Federal telework programs will be expanded as part of President’s continuity-of-operation plans to keep the government functioning during difficult conditions such as extreme weather, as well as to reduce management costs, environmental impacts and commuting expenses. In addition, agencies have found that telework is both an attractive option when attempting to recruit and retain the best employees and an important agency tool that can be utilized to address workspace issues and transit costs.
For more information regarding federal telework, see the full articles below:
Federal Telework in 10 Stats and More Federal Employees Are Teleworking More Often
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