Majority of Federal Managers Believe Agencies Do Not Support Telework

From the Telework Exchange (found via Shawn Malone), a study was just released based on responses from 200 managers from 45 different federal agencies regarding their attitudes towards teleworking:

Survey results indicate that only 35 percent of Federal managers believe their agencies support telework, despite a 2001 Congressional mandate that requires agencies to implement telework programs.

Despite these initial results, there is hope. The study demonstrates that attitudes toward telework improve dramatically as managers become more exposed to alternative work arrangements. Fifty-four percent of non-teleworking managers have favorable views of telework. That number jumps to 75 percent among managers who telework themselves.

The message is that more managers should try telework and understand its value.

The study recommends giving more managers the option to take part in teleworking pilot programs (since the managers who telework view it more favorably than those who don’t) as well as educational efforts across government. I would however hesitate at recommending that large numbers of managers start telecommuting to work - after all, at least not on a full time basis (after all, you do need some face time when you are managing)