FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2023
March 29, 2023
Contact:
Michael Newberger
202-702-2724
[email protected]
New Survey Shows Rank-and-File Federal Employees Believe Increased Telework Has Improved Productivity
WASHINGTON – Today, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing more than 750,000 federal and DC government employees, released the results of a nationwide survey of federal employees that sought to understand the attitudes of rank-and-file federal employees toward telework.
“Overwhelmingly, federal employees are saying that increased telework has improved government productivity, and they are worried that telework rollbacks will exacerbate agency backlogs caused by budget cuts and understaffing,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “These civil servants show up every day to deliver government services to the American people – whether in a physical office or remotely. As lawmakers, policymakers, and agency leadership discuss the future of telework, the voices and concerns of rank-and-file federal employees deserve to be heard.”
Key Findings from the survey include:
- Feds Say Telework Has Increased Productivity: A total of 71.2% of respondents reported telework had improved productivity at their agency a great deal. Another 16.3% said that productivity had improved somewhat due to telework, 9.5% said telework had no impact on productivity, 2.1% said telework decreased productivity somewhat, and less than 1% said it decreased productivity a great deal. Overall, 87.5% of respondents said telework had improved productivity at their agency somewhat or a great deal, and 97% of respondents said telework has either had no impact or had improved productivity.
- Feds Say Reduction in Telework will Hurt Retention, Exacerbate Backlogs: Of those surveyed, 77% of respondents said reductions in telework would make it more difficult to recruit and retain employees, and 74% said reducing telework would hurt productivity. A majority of federal workers feel that telework better serves the American people: 55% said reductions in telework would hurt customer service, and 50% of respondents said reductions in telework would increase backlogs.
- Budget Cuts and Understaffing to Blame for Backlogs, Feds Say: Although some have blamed telework for agency backlogs, federal employees seem to have a different view: 66% of respondents who said they have backlogs at their agency attributed those backlogs to understaffing and lack of resources, and only 6% identified telework as a related issue.
- Understaffing, Poor Management Biggest Barriers to Better Service Say Feds: Respondents identified understaffing and lack of resources (39.2%) and poor management and ineffective leadership (27.3%) as the top barriers to providing better services in their agencies. Only 1.3% of respondents identified telework and remote work policies as barriers to better service.
- Changes to Telework Since COVID: The workers surveyed have seen a variety of responses regarding telework by their employers: 34.8% of respondents say their agencies have curtailed telework since mid-2021, another 32.3% say their agencies have made no change, and 32.9% say their agency has expanded telework since mid-2021.
- Expected Future Changes to Telework: Of those surveyed, 45.7% said they do not expect any change to telework policies in the near future, 35.6% said they expect their agency to decrease telework flexibilities, and another 18.7% said they expect that their agencies will soon increase telework options.
The survey was conducted electronically from March 15-March 24, 2023. The 3,112 respondents included federal government employees from every state and Puerto Rico, representing 125 distinct government programs.
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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 750,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.
For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 750,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.
For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center.
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For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center.
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