More Federal Workers are Telecommuting 79
An anonymous reader writes "Boosting the ranks of federal employees who telework is a slow, sometimes painful process, despite numerous incentives and legislative edicts lobbed at U.S. agencies over the years. Take the situation at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which last month was ordered by a federal arbitration panel to allow its legal instrument examiners to telework on a pilot basis. ATF was against letting these specialists telework because it says the material they need to remove from agency offices in order to telework posed a security risk. The Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) became involved at the request of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which successfully argued its case for allowing the examiners to telework on a pilot basis."
Telecommuting should be the norm... (Score:2, Interesting)
Telecommuters drive less, so there's less pollution and traffic. With the right people, telecommuting can enhance productivity and job satisfaction.
I feel strongly about this, having been a FT telecommuting programmer for the past 5+ years. I love working with hours of uninterrupted concentration. Whenever I do have to go into the office, I'm surrounded by distractions, especially from coworkers who bullshit incessantly.
YMMV of course. Certain jobs (customer contact, security, etc) may not qualify, and there are obviously people who do *better* in an office setting. For many cases, though, going into the office is more of a control/domination mechanism than having anything to do with actual "work."
They just want dumb asses in seats, which is probably why the feds are slow to adopt telework.
Re:Discourage those staying behind? (Score:3, Interesting)
BTW - the boss was a total Lumbergh - yes, he would place demands on Friday afternoon for us to work weekends. I don't work in that group any more.
Re:I telecommute almost every week (Score:5, Interesting)
It varies not just by Agency, but by division, line office, supervisor all the way down. Where I work in NOAA is even more flexible for many, especially scientific personnel (2 or even 3 days/week is not uncommon), with plenty of resources to make it work. Been doing this for a couple years, though recent across-the-board laptop security issues (changes driven from the top after some of the well-publicized losses in other agencies) has made it harder.
Re:Telecommuting should be the norm... (Score:3, Interesting)
I appreciate that you've already stated there are people who do better in an office setting, but I still find it interesting that so many of comments I've read on Slashdot are strongly in favour of telecommuting.
I quite enjoy going to work. It's a 40 minute walk (which is an excuse to go for a reasonable walk a couple of times a day), and being at work puts me in the frame of mind for doing work-related things. Having people around who are also doing work really helps to motivate me. If I'm at home, I usually find it very hard to concentrate on work topics because I'm surrounded by non-work things, and sometimes people who want my attention for non-work things. Home tends to be where I like to relax more, and that's usually the frame of mind I'm in when I'm there.
We do have people who like to telecommute, particularly if they live a long way out of town or have kids or whatever, but I don't think I'd do well to be one of them.
"Telecommute" is the problem, not the solution (Score:3, Interesting)
"Telecommute" is a stupid word - the literal meaning of the word is completely at odds with the meaning of the word as it is used. Telecommute means to travel a long distance. Tele means far, commute means to travel, particularly to work. Hence telecommute means to travel a long distance to work. The roots are similar to television (literally far seeing) and telephone (lterally far hearing).
However, telecommuting - as the word is used - is the problem, not the solution. The problem is having to commute a long way to work. The solution is using technology to allow you to work from home, which is not what telecommute means at all. Obviously whoever coined the word thought "tele" sounded suitably technological, so decided to use that. A far better word for the solution would be "e-commuting" or something similar, even if it does involve the much overused "e-" prefix. At least that would make sense.
Stupid English language...