News Release 08-038
"Telework" Benefits Employers, Employees and the Environment
NSF teleworkers spare the environment more than 1 million pounds of emissions annually.
March 11, 2008
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The Telework ExchangeSM, a public-private partnership focused on telework, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), today announced the results of a joint study, "Telework Under the Microscope -- A Report on the National Science Foundation's Telework Program." Based on survey responses from 87 percent of NSF's employees, the study shows that telework is a win-win-win for managers, employees and the environment.
Among top-level findings, the study reveals that the majority of agency employees telework, and that 87 percent hold a positive view of telework in the federal government. The majority of managers who directly supervise teleworkers find those employees' productivity increases or remains the same while teleworking.
Other key study findings include:
Micro View -- NSF Agency Snapshot: Fifty-one percent of NSF employees telework, with 32 percent teleworking on a regular basis. Fifty-two percent of teleworkers are provided with government-owned computers, the majority of them laptops. Ninety-four percent of the teleworkers use high-speed Internet connections at home.
Through Management's Lens -- A Focus On Employees Who Manage Telework: Sixty-seven percent of employees who manage teleworkers also telework themselves. Eighty-seven percent of these managers report that employees' productivity increases or remains the same while teleworking. The majority of those who manage teleworkers do not find it difficult to evaluate teleworkers and find that telework requires minimal or no change to how work is done
A Macro View -- Going Green: By not commuting, each NSF teleworker reclaims an average of 62 hours of their lives back and saves $1,201 a year. Extrapolating those savings across the agency, NSF teleworkers each year collectively spare the environment more than 1 million pounds of emissions and save more than $700,000 in commuting costs.
"NSF clearly sees the value that telework offers to employees and the agency," said Anthony Arnolie, NSF's chief human capital officer." 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. We are pleased with the success of our telework program and are dedicated to expanding telework in the future."
"NSF provides a great example of the importance of engaging management in the telework program," said Cindy Auten, general manager, Telework Exchange." Our joint work on this study exemplifies how to operationalize public-private partnerships. The net of it, telework delivers a productivity bonus and should represent a win-win-win on all sides for employees, agencies and the environment. We applaud NSF for its efforts and look forward to working with the agency to expand telework."
"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 agency employees. To download the full results of the study, please visit http://www.teleworkexchange.com/nsfstudy.
About the Telework Exchange, LLC: Telework Exchange is a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the tangible value of telework and serving the emerging educational and communication requirements of the Federal teleworker community. The organization facilitates communication among Federal teleworkers, telework managers, and IT professionals. For more information on Telework Exchange, please visit http://www.teleworkexchange.com/.
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Diane Banegas, National Science Foundation, (703) 292-4489, email: dbanegas@nsf.gov
Lauren Olsen, Telework Exchange, (703) 883-9000, email: lolsen@teleworkexchange.com
The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.
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