Anonymous wrote:I work at a DOD agency. In theory telework is encouraged but in reality very few do it. Many can't because their jobs require classified work which can't be done remotely. Some offices are used to a culture where everyone has to be onsite even if most of their work is unclassified. In most instances, contracts prevent contractors from working offsite as well. As a result, thousands of people who otherwise could stay off the roads and get things done from home make their way on congested roads to a less than ideal building daily.

I wonder if we work in the same DoD agency (although we don't do much classified work). I've recently been put in a management position and have been quite liberal with telework but realized that the other managers and my boss are not that favorable towards it (so i may have to reign it in a bit...). I don't get it, perhaps because i'm younger, but if you're going to deny people tele-work (particularly the hyper-mile commuters) then eventually they're going to find new jobs. If you're so worried about productivity dropping, then measure the damn productivity and not some ethereal value of it.

I would find it tremendously stressful to sit "in public and on display" the entire workday.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh pp, which agency is this? The only point to setting that up is to encourage people to stay home and telework.

I'm 12:37. No telework.

They claim it was done to foster collaboration. Really, it was cost savings, think of all the money they saved on walls, doors, dividers, etc. I like the organization I work for, but hate this facility with an undying passion.

Ugh pp, which agency is this? The only point to setting that up is to encourage people to stay home and telework.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one is my legal office in a govt. agency. It is ridiculous, as much of work is measurable and could be done more efficiently elsewhere (we sit it cubicles).

Cubicles and no teleworking? Ugh, where is that?

Are cubicles worse than office sharing? At least you have limited privacy in a cube.

Cubicles are the worst. At my agency only GS-15s or supervisory 14s have offices.

I'd KILL for a cubicle. We work in one of the new open collaborative workspaces. Basically, it looks like a call center in Bangladesh. Supervisors and SESs have mini offices, but everyone else sits in huge open bays, including non-supervisory GS-15s. ZERO privacy. A cubicle sounds like a dream come true.

Anonymous wrote:I telework from home full-time because my job is out of state. There are a ton of perks, but I would trade them all to have people to talk to (hence my DCUM addiction). I wish there were co-working places around here that didn't cost $500+. A laid-back co-working coffee-shop type place with a ping pong table--every other city seems to have one. That's the business I would like to start, but I don't think there's money in it here since real estate is so pricey. But I digress...

I"m in a similar situation. I didn't realize there were co-working places here at all, expensive or not.

What about the SEC?

I cannot telework at all-it is based on your manager-based on their age in my opinion.

Contractor - TC 1 to 2 days a week...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one is my legal office in a govt. agency. It is ridiculous, as much of work is measurable and could be done more efficiently elsewhere (we sit it cubicles).

Cubicles and no teleworking? Ugh, where is that?

Are cubicles worse than office sharing? At least you have limited privacy in a cube.

Cubicles are the worst. At my agency only GS-15s or supervisory 14s have offices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one is my legal office in a govt. agency. It is ridiculous, as much of work is measurable and could be done more efficiently elsewhere (we sit it cubicles).

Cubicles and no teleworking? Ugh, where is that?

Are cubicles worse than office sharing? At least you have limited privacy in a cube.

Anonymous wrote:No one is my legal office in a govt. agency. It is ridiculous, as much of work is measurable and could be done more efficiently elsewhere (we sit it cubicles).

Cubicles and no teleworking? Ugh, where is that?

I telework from home full-time because my job is out of state. There are a ton of perks, but I would trade them all to have people to talk to (hence my DCUM addiction). I wish there were co-working places around here that didn't cost $500+. A laid-back co-working coffee-shop type place with a ping pong table--every other city seems to have one. That's the business I would like to start, but I don't think there's money in it here since real estate is so pricey. But I digress...

I work at a DOD agency. In theory telework is encouraged but in reality very few do it. Many can't because their jobs require classified work which can't be done remotely. Some offices are used to a culture where everyone has to be onsite even if most of their work is unclassified. In most instances, contracts prevent contractors from working offsite as well. As a result, thousands of people who otherwise could stay off the roads and get things done from home make their way on congested roads to a less than ideal building daily.

Sounds really demoralizing. Considering pay is frozen, granting telework would be one perk to reward employees without additional cost. I don't understand these agencies and the management - so poor.