telework and the federal attorney

[Anonymous]

To the PP who said being anti-telework means lack of trust, I don't trust other people. I've seen supervisors, coworkers and admin staff all slack off where everyone can see them in the office. At home would be a total nightmare for jobs that don't have easy productivity markers.

[Anonymous]

"To the PP who said being anti-telework means lack of trust, I don't trust other people. I've seen supervisors, coworkers and admin staff all slack off where everyone can see them in the office."

Yup.

[Anonymous]

" Aren't computer games inaccessible from fed govt computers? "

Depends on the agency/office.

[Anonymous]

13:35, so long as you're regularly doing 40+ in the office, open and accessible to your colleagues, any telework on top of that is a bonus!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12:33, how long did your work for your current employer before you began teleworking?

Do you feel you understand your organization's politics well? Are you one of the "favorites" in the department, or can you not tell from home who's in the inner circle?

Do you ever feel isolated from your company's mission by teleworking 80% of the time?

Do you have a physical office location at your company?

12:33 here.

How long did your work for your current employer before you began teleworking? ---> I began teleworking about three months after starting.

Do you feel you understand your organization's politics well? ---> Yes. Most people in our company works this way, so the infrastructure is configured to accomodate teleworking. There is a lot of emphasis on keeping people engaged and on scheduling events (e.g. lunches, CLE sessions, training) designed to get people together and talking.

Are you one of the "favorites" in the department, or can you not tell from home who's in the inner circle? ---> I get great performance reviews and my clients compliment my work to my management (which is very helpful). By choice and nature, I am a worker-bee and an introvert, so I don't concern myself much with who is in the inner circle, which tends in any event to consist of people in higher-level positions than mine.

Do you ever feel isolated from your company's mission by teleworking 80% of the time? ---> No.

Do you have a physical office location at your company? ---> Yes, but other people use it too. I keep my files, books, etc. in my home office, which is a dedicated space located far from the hub of family life.

[Anonymous]

Any government agency that hasn't closed access to computer games, porn, non-work related blogs, etc. is run by blithering idiots.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 12:33/13:45. Two things about your responses stand out to me: supports the notion that people who aren't interested in climbing the ladder but are cool being worker bees can work at home more easily and that telework may work if you're okay not having a dedicated office space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any government agency that hasn't closed access to computer games, porn, non-work related blogs, etc. is run by blithering idiots.

Lots and lots of 'em. The top sites are porn & gambling. Yer tax dollars at work.

[Anonymous]

I'm more productive at home. My office is noisy and people stop by and chat. The nature of my work is such (drafting long documents, etc.) that I do better when I am undistracted by other people.

When I was in law school I preferred to study at home, though many of my classmates preferred the library. I found the library distracting.

I am not sure why some people on this thread can't accept that people have different work habits and styles.

[Anonymous]

I accept that people have different work habits and styles.

If you're ambitious and in a job that requires, or you desire or need, lots of interpersonal interaction, telework is not for you. If you're grinding it out and your job is measured in cases or documents produced, who needs a shower and a suit?

Not all federal attorneys fall into one of those camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm more productive at home. My office is noisy and people stop by and chat. The nature of my work is such (drafting long documents, etc.) that I do better when I am undistracted by other people.

When I was in law school I preferred to study at home, though many of my classmates preferred the library. I found the library distracting.

I am not sure why some people on this thread can't accept that people have different work habits and styles.

I also don't understand why people can't accept that there are plenty of adults in the world who actually want to do a good job. I aim to excel at work not so my boss can throw me treats and pat my head, but because I am accountable, I don't want to look bad, and I actually want people to count on me, respect me, and I want to be proud of my work. Work is time away from my kids, so it better count.

We go to college, and some choose to show up to class, do the work, study, and others choose to stay out all night, drink, and skip class. The first group tended to graduate with honors and the second group tended to either get kicked out, get pulled out by parents, or barely manage to scrape by and find themselves screwed when they wanted to get into grad programs.

These are adults. They will sink or swim and I don't think being chained to an office is the only way to keep people productive and wanting to do well. Regardless of how you feel about telecommuting, it is growing and showing no signs of slowing down, especially has technology continues to advance and traffic gets worse. The government has been studying this for years and they are on board. The private sector has also been doing it for years. I personally love having an office, have some great friends I love seeing at work, and don't even mind commuting (I get my reading done on the metro and get some walking in) but once a week it's great to have a break from the commute, save some time, skip blow drying my hair and putting on make up, and not have the distractions of the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 12:33/13:45. Two things about your responses stand out to me: supports the notion that people who aren't interested in climbing the ladder but are cool being worker bees can work at home more easily and that telework may work if you're okay not having a dedicated office space.

As a senior manager in my agency who teleworks one day a week, I can assure you - this is incorrect.

The division in my agency allows telework, we also mandate that supervisors have a list of deliverables that staff provide on telework days (to the taxpayer who was worried about federal employees wasting tax dollars). I'm sure, like many of us, those who telework take a few breaks during the day for a lunch, drop a load of wash, etc.

However, there is less inturuptions during the day for chit-chat, breaks, etc. I find much more work gets done at home - and I go back to the next day with large projects cleared and ready to work. However, I can't speak for the entire federal government -

[Anonymous]

PP, are you talking about climbing the ladder as being a GS-15 or SES or something else?

[Anonymous]

How do teleworkers network? Without investing the face time in office relationships, I wouldn't have nearly the network I do now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do teleworkers network? Without investing the face time in office relationships, I wouldn't have nearly the network I do now.

3x/week teleworker here. There is absolutely no need to network in my office. My office/job attracts a certain introverted personality and our work is very independent and solitary. It's all about your work product. As a PP noted, my office is full of worker bees. Give us a case, let us do our work, and then give us the next case. It's the kind of work that others who enjoy networking would probably hate, but for a certain personality, like mine, it's perfect. Plus, it's perfect for telework.