Frequently Asked Questions

What is Telework?

Teleworking allows employees to work part of the time at other than their "official duty station."

Teleworking may be on a schedule of from several days per week to as little as one day a month, or on an as-needed basis for reasons such as special projects, illness, or unavailability of your regular office.

You normally do telework in your home or at a special telework center.

You are still on official duty when you are teleworking, and are expected to be in a situation where you have the resources necessary to do your job, and are able to concentrate on that job without interruptions from other family members. You normally cannot expect to care for any other family members when you are teleworking. However, teleworking will probably free up time that you would otherwise spend commuting that you can devote to your family.

In recent years, both Congress and the Executive branch have increasingly promoted telework to help achieve important public policy goals. Among these are: improving the Government's ability to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce in a competitive job market, protecting environmental quality and energy conservation by reducing traffic congestion and vehicle emissions, improving employees' work lives by allowing a better balance of work and family responsibilities, and reducing work-related stress.

Over the past several years, Congress has increasingly sought to encourage widespread use of telework. A 1990 telecommunications bill authorized Federal agencies to spend Federal funds for extra telephone lines, related equipment, and computer connection fees for Federal teleworkers. This temporary authorization was re-enacted annually thereafter and made permanent in 1996.

Section 359 of Public Law 106-346 requires each Executive branch agency to establish a policy under which eligible employees may participate in Telework to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance.

Am I a good candidate to be a teleworker?

All or parts of many jobs are appropriate for teleworking.

• Usually 100 percent of a position is not appropriate for teleworking. Teleworkers usually perform part of their job at their official duty station. You will need to continue to live in a location which enables you to come in to your official duty station on a regularly scheduled basis, and on an as-needed basis for meetings and other special activities.
• As examples, telework is feasible for work that requires thinking and writing -- data analysis, reviewing grants or cases, writing decisions or reports; telephone-intensive tasks -- setting up a conference, obtaining information, following up on participants in a study; and for computer-oriented tasks -- programming, web page design, data entry, and word processing.

Telework is not suitable for employees who need to be in the office to learn the organization, who require on-the-job training, who need close supervision, or who thrive on interaction with co-workers and would suffer from the isolation of working alone.

To be a successful teleworker, you should be an organized, disciplined, and conscientious self-starter who requires minimal supervision.

Your teleworking should not adversely affect either your own performance or that of your coworkers. Thus, if your job involves frequent interaction with your coworkers or customers, you will be expected to be available at the same times as when you were at work for this interaction via email or the telephone.

Although telework will give some employees more time for their family responsibilities, you may not use duty time for providing dependent care or any purpose other than official duties.

You must have a safe and adequate place to work off-site that is free from interruptions and that provides the necessary level of security and protection for Government property. If this is not available in your home, you may still be able to telework in a telework center.

How should I ask permission to telework?

All Federal agencies are required to identify the positions that are appropriate for teleworking, and to offer the opportunity to telework to the people in these positions.

Remember that employee participation is voluntary and subject to management approval, and that it is a management option rather than an employee benefit. You are not "entitled" to telework — there must be a clear advantage to the Government from your teleworking.

Not all managers and supervisors are equally familiar with teleworking, and some have very real concerns about effectively supervising people who are teleworking. If you think your supervisor is going be hesitant in approving your teleworking, it is up to you to do your homework thoroughly and make a comprehensive proposal to your supervisor pointing out the advantages to the organization of your teleworking, explaining what part of your job you would do at home, and on what schedule. A description of your home work setup is also important for this approval.

What will have to happen before I can telework?

You will need to reach an agreement with your supervisor on a number of aspects of the telework assignment, including what part of your work will be done at home, your work schedule, how and when you will communicate with your supervisor and colleagues, and how your work will be evaluated.

You will probably be required to sign a telework agreement with your agency.

You will need to identify an appropriate work location in your home which is safe, comfortable, free from distractions, and with adequate working space and access to all the resources you need to carry out your job. You don't need to devote an entire room for your office at home. Some teleworkers have successfully developed a part of an existing room, a garage, an attic, or even a closet for their workstation. Working on the couch in front of the TV is not a good idea!

It may be necessary for your agency to place Government owned computers and telecommunications equipment in your home or at other alternative worksites before you can begin your teleworking.

You may need to be trained in the use of this hardware and software, and arrangements need to be made for technical assistance and hardware maintenance.

Your agency may decide to provide you with a telephone credit card. Agencies are authorized to use Government funds to install telephone lines, and necessary equipment, and to pay monthly charges in any private residence or private apartment of an employee who has been authorized to work-at-home.

Your agency may ask you to conduct a safety inspection of your telework work space before you may start to use it for teleworking.

How can I make sure that my teleworking works for both me and my agency?

Establish a routine: Once you start teleworking, you will have 24-hour access to work. You may be tempted to work longer hours. However, working too much can cause stress and stress-related illness. Knowing when to stop is essential for effective performance. One way to get around overwork is to implement specific business hours. Set firm starting and stopping times, and communicate these to your manager and coworkers. At the office, there are routines that structure your time. If you work at home, it may help to establish your own routine so that you don't overwork.

Establish goals: Develop a list of goals and assignments for the days you telework. At the end of the day, go over the list and see how much you've been able to accomplish. It's helpful to start the list a couple of days before you're teleworking. This helps to plan for all the resources you'll need to support your activities at home.

Set deadlines: While teleworking, follow the same rules for deadlines as if you were in the office. If you're mailing reports to the office, send them so they arrive the day they're due or earlier. If you're sending your work electronically via a computer, it should also arrive on time.

Avoid distractions: Avoid teleworking on days when there may be friction at home, such as family quarrels or problems. If you have an elderly family member, an infant, or a toddler needing care, it will be difficult to telework and complete any work. Telework is not a substitute for child- or elder-care.

Maintain regular communication with your manager: As a teleworker, you'll need to keep your supervisor informed about the status of the programs you are working on, your progress, and any difficulty encountered. Think of your manager as a client that needs information on a timely basis.

Be accessible: Be sure to stay in touch with the office during teleworking days. Set up a system (mobile telephone, voice mail, e-mail, answering machine, or pager) so that you can be reached easily.

The above was pulled from the section called Featured Questions on the Telework.gov website.