Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hosted the second of three telework training seminars for federal agency managers and telework coordinators. More than 186 people representing 19 agencies participated in the webinar, an Internet-based meeting that allowed federal managers to log onto a website to view a series of informational slides and discuss the contents of the slides via a telephone conference call, adding to the efficiency of teleconferences. Many more listened to the training via audio feed.

"The strategy behind hosting the webinar meeting was to again show federal managers that teleworking is an efficient and appropriate way for employees to work. Federal managers have a great personnel flexibility through telework - one that not only eases traffic congestion and promotes conservation but one that also assists with team productivity and continuity of operations planning," stated OPM Director Kay Coles James. "Although agencies have posted improvements in the number of employees eligible for telework, far more work needs to be done. As managers and supervisors move beyond reluctance and learn more about telework, we hope to see better implementation efforts."

Participants at the webinar heard from nationally recognized telework consultant Gil Gordon, who drew on more than twenty years of practical experience implementing telework, as well as a panel of managers who shared their experiences utilizing the personnel flexibility. Topics discussed included how telework improves managers' performance, employee productivity, and an agency's emergency planning efforts.

The most recent telework report found that the number of telework-eligible and actual teleworking employees continues to grow. In 2003, agencies reported that a total of 751,844 employees (43 percent) were eligible to telework, compared with the 625,313 employees (35 percent) reported in 2002, an increase of more than 20 percent. In addition, the number of employees teleworking grew from 90,010 in 2002 to 102,921 in 2003.

OPM and the General Services Administration, OPM's telework partner, have worked closely with federal agencies and the offices of congressional members to promote telework and educate federal human resources managers and employees on its effectiveness as a human capital tool.

An additional telework training seminar is scheduled for June 30. Those agencies participating in the webinar were:

Department of Commerce

Defense Contract Management Agency

Department of Health and Human Services

Environmental Protection Agency

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Department of the Navy

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of the Interior

Department of State

Department of Education

St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Smithsonian Institution

General Services Administration

Office of Personnel Management

Department of Energy

Department of Homeland Security

Defense Threat Reduction Agency

National Labor Relations Board

Department of Treasury