Benefits March 21, 2008

NSF Workers Giving Teleworking a Big Thumbs Up

March 21, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The majority of managers who directly supervise teleworkers at the National Science Foundation (NSF) reported that the productivity of those workers either stays the same or increases while working outside the office, a new study found.
Reported by

A news announcement about a study by The Telework Exchange and the NSF said most NSF employees telework and that 87% were happy about the federal government’s teleworking programs.

According to the announcement, the study’s findings included:

  • 51% of NSF employees telework, with 32% doing so on a regular basis. Fifty-two percent are provided with a government-owned computer to support telework; the majority are laptops. Some 94% of teleworkers use high-speed Internet connections at home.
  • 67% of employees who manage teleworkers, also telework themselves. The majority do not find it difficult to evaluate teleworkers and find that telework requires minimal to no change to how work is done.
  • On average, by not commuting, each NSF teleworker reclaims 62 hours of their lives back and saves $1,201 a year. Extrapolating those savings across the agency, NSF teleworkers collectively spare the environment over one million pounds of emissions and save more than $700,000 in commuting costs per year

“NSF clearly sees the value that telework offers to employees and the agency,” said Anthony Arnolie, chief human capital officer, NSF, in the news announcement. “Employees can win on three fronts – better work/life balance, reduced carbon footprints, as well as decreased commuting time and costs. The agency wins too as telework helps us recruit and retain highly-skilled workers, and overall productivity increases.”

Telework Under the Microscope – A Report on the National Science Foundation’s Telework Program is based on an agencywide survey conducted by NSF in September 2007. The results are based on responses from 1,200 NSF employees.

«