FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2008
March 14, 2008
Jason Fornicola
(202) 639-6448
(202) 639-6448
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Makes Significant Improvements to Telework Program for Federal Workers
WASHINGTON—The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) today thanked members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for their efforts to significantly improve the federal Telework program by passing H.R. 4106, the Telework Improvements Act of 2007.
The Telework Improvements Act allows federal employees to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in every two workweeks, a move that can greatly improve a federal employee’s quality of life and productivity. Teleworking is the ability for an employee to work from home, or at a location other than their regular place of employment.
“This bill is a significant improvement for all hard working federal employees,” said Beth Moten, AFGE Political and Legislative Director. “AFGE is proud to have worked with Congress on this initiative. It will save taxpayer dollars by allowing the federal workforce the opportunity to be more productive, while being able to compete with the private sector in the area of workplace flexibility.”
The bill specifically calls for increased training on how to properly implement and execute telework, and assures that no employee who engages in teleworking will be discriminated against in performance appraisals. Telework also will be made available to employees to the maximum extent possible without infringing on employee performance or agency goals. To further ease the transition, each agency will have a Telework Managing Officer, and the General Services Administration will provide telework assistance and guidance to agencies.
AFGE sincerely thanks all members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who made these critical telework improvements possible including: Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Ranking Member Tom Davis (R-Va.), bill sponsor Danny Davis (D-Ill.), and John Sarbanes (D-Md.).
The Telework Improvements Act allows federal employees to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in every two workweeks, a move that can greatly improve a federal employee’s quality of life and productivity. Teleworking is the ability for an employee to work from home, or at a location other than their regular place of employment.
“This bill is a significant improvement for all hard working federal employees,” said Beth Moten, AFGE Political and Legislative Director. “AFGE is proud to have worked with Congress on this initiative. It will save taxpayer dollars by allowing the federal workforce the opportunity to be more productive, while being able to compete with the private sector in the area of workplace flexibility.”
The bill specifically calls for increased training on how to properly implement and execute telework, and assures that no employee who engages in teleworking will be discriminated against in performance appraisals. Telework also will be made available to employees to the maximum extent possible without infringing on employee performance or agency goals. To further ease the transition, each agency will have a Telework Managing Officer, and the General Services Administration will provide telework assistance and guidance to agencies.
AFGE sincerely thanks all members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who made these critical telework improvements possible including: Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Ranking Member Tom Davis (R-Va.), bill sponsor Danny Davis (D-Ill.), and John Sarbanes (D-Md.).
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