US Government Work from Home Jobs - Do they really exist?
posted October 1, 2009 - 10:04am
EWORKING FOR THE US GOVERNMENT –
IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE? - THE ANSWER IS YES!
GSA (General Services Administration)
The GSA is probably the most forward thinking Government
agency in the US in its drive to expand teleworking and remote-based employment as a normal means of operation.
GSA provides a centralized delivery system of products and services to the federal government, leveraging its enormous buying power to get the best value for taxpayers.
Founded in 1949, GSA manages more than one-fourth of the government’s total procurement dollars and influences the management of $500 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 208,000 vehicles.
The mission of the GSA mission to provide superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services, purchasing and E-Gov travel solutions and management policies, at best value, allows Federal agencies to focus on their core missions.
Following the announcement of an agency-wide Telework Initiative in the fall of 2008, William Kelly is leading the agency's telework expansion efforts with specific milestones, including the goal to have half of eligible GSA employees telecommuting by 2010!
The GSA’s own telework program has been in place since 2001. US Government job vacancies can be found at: www.usa.gov and each job listing will show whether the vacancy is telework-eligible or telework approved.
Other agencies are following the lead of the GSA. For example: Did you know that even the US Navy now allows teleworking? Not the most obvious choice - but it’s good to know!
The following is taken from the September 2008 Edition of the Telework Exchange’s Teleworker Newsletter:
In an era of dwindling supply and increasing demand for top personnel, the Navy wants to remain a leading employer of choice. To ensure that it can compete effectively with industry and other service branches - especially as more members of Generation Y enter the workforce - Navy officials are set to begin permanently offering telework and other flexible scheduling programs at qualifying commands as a tool to better attract and retain employees.
"This all came out of the fact that we began looking for innovative ways to make sure that our employees are able to be productive and that we as an employer are able to hold people accountable for results, rather than saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got to be standing tall at 0700 in the morning so I can see everybody’s smiling face,’" says Capt. Ken Barrett, director of the Navy’s Task Force Life/Work (TFLW). "That model is just not going to work for us as we get further into the 21st Century."
For the full article: please visit http://www.teleworkexchange.com/teleworker-09-08.asp
The Telework Exchange (www.teleworkexchange.com) is a private-public partnership and, as such, is supported by these private companies who promote telecommuting:
Avaya Federal Solutions
Blackberry
Polycom
Intel
Riverbed
Sprint
Symantec
Sun Microsystems
Tandberg
Verizon Business
VMware
Booz Allen Hamilton
Comcast
GTI (Government Telecommunications Inc)
Citrix
Other Government Telework Advocates
Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine
Gov. Timothy Kaine announced in July of 2008, an initiative that will allow 120 gubernatorial appointees to telework and he directed all state agencies to do what they could to follow his lead. Kaine cited rising fuel and commuting costs, traffic congestion, and environmental concerns as the drivers behind the new policy, which he described as an "opportunity to create a culture of conservation." Almost immediately, more than 60 employees within the Kaine Cabinet and office began teleworking or using alternative schedules for part of their work week.
Telework Tax Credit Proposed – by Congressman Blumenauer (D-OR)
In mid-July, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced new legislation for consideration by the 110th Congress, with Representatives Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) as original cosponsors of the "Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008" (H.R. 6495). This bill focuses on the impact of increasing gas prices on U.S. consumers and proposes a number of initiatives associated with alternative forms of transportation to reduce dependency on gas consumption.
Among the programs outlined, the Gas Price Relief Act proposes creation of a Telework Tax Credit "for qualified teleworking expenses for employers and employees." This telework incentive program is intended to encourage broader adoption of telework nationwide and reduce millions of gallons of fuel used by commuters.
THE FDIC
By any measure, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) makes telework look easy. Its program, established in 2001, now has more than 1,600 regular teleworkers across every grade level and division - and more than 2,600 of FDIC's over 4,500 employees, including nearly 50 percent of its managers, teleworked at least one day during 2007. FDIC also permits bank examiners to choose to telework from home versus a field office when they are not in a bank, allowing the agency to reduce its real estate needs. The Corporation estimates that it will reap savings in rental costs in 2008 equal to approximately $1,748 per "work at home" employee.
Arleas Upton Kea, director of the FDIC's Division of Administration, received the 2008 Telework Driver Award by Telework Exchange for her creativity and forward thinking in getting telework underway long before it became a more popular work option.
She faced pockets of fierce cultural resistance along the way and had to work hard to find ways to overcome concerns about security and privacy, as well as executive and managerial doubts about the potential benefits of the program. However, Kea and her team did their research and came up with innovative ways to get the rest of the agency on board.
In 2005, the FDIC implemented a Corporate Telework Week during which employees were encouraged to try telework at least once. The program has been a huge success. In 2007, 880 employees participated!
To find US Government jobs – please visit:
© 2008-2009 Maria Daly (formerly Telework International LLC)
To read all of my articles at Xomba just click on: http://www.xomba.com/user/mdaly
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