This Week's Herman Trend Alert Telecommuting to a Better Bottom Line

The Herman Trend Alert April 12, 2006 Government Telework Increasing The movement toward telecommuting has momentum in the private sector. However, the public sector has been relatively resistant to permitting telework. Respondents to a survey of government workers last year revealed that only 19 percent were able to telework for part or all of their jobs. Now, the numbers are up substantially, with 41 percent of responding Federal employees indicating that they currently telework. This report comes from CDW Government, Inc, a leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions for governments and educators. This change is driven by the government’s need to compete more aggressively to attract and hold top talent. The CDW report shows that information technology professionals in the federal sector have significantly expanded technical support for telework initiatives over the past year. Thirty-two percent of surveyed Federal IT professionals indicated that their agency has started or expanded a telework program in the last year. Twenty-eight percent of the same respondents believes that their agency provides IT support to 100 percent of eligible teleworkers---up from just 5 percent of respondents in 2005. Information security is cited as the single most significant inhibitor for broader telework adoption in 2006, as it was in 2005. Fifty-three percent of Federal IT professionals feel that information security is the primary challenge associated with telework, with other issues lagging far behind. Advantages to telecommuting that emerged from the study are consistent with those seen in the private sector. A major concern is employee satisfaction. Results show that 91 percent of Federal employees with the option to telework are either very satisfied or satisfied with their current jobs, compared to 80 percent of Federal employees without the option to telework. This metric is highly significant when striving to retain people who have employment choices. Equally important is employee desire for flexibility. Federal employees cite the elimination of their commute (80 percent) and an improvement in work flexibility (68 percent) as the primary reasons for preferring telework. Of Federal employees that do not telework, 84 percent would telework if allowed to. This issue will be huge for federal managers in the next few years. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." NEED HELP THINKING ABOUT YOUR FUTURE? Our futurists offer thought-provoking and penetrating insights, along with creative ideas to implement right away. Whether you're looking for a speaker or a consultant or a facilitator for your strategic planning retreat, The Herman Group can help you find a person for your needs, no matter what your topic. Call Joyce at 336-210-3548 to discuss your event. REDUCE COSTS BY LOWERING EMPLOYEE TURNOVER If you knew just how much money turnover is costing your company, you would have handled it ages ago! Turnover costs A LOT and it comes right off the bottom line. Let The Herman Group and its team of very experienced consultants help you address your turnover issues right away. We have an impressive track record and stand ready to help you. Call Carol at 800-227-3566; international, call 336-210-3547 for a no-obligation conference call. GOOD SELECTION = BETTER RETENTION If you are not using pre-employment assessments, you are flying without radar---not very smart in today's highly competitive environment. Let us help you better understand your candidates and your employees. In less than 30 minutes, you will know if they can do the job (abilities); their work behaviors, even their personality and attitudes (like integrity & ethics), and those can't be trained. It's very cost effective, too! For more information, contact Joyce at 336-210-3548 or e-mail assessments@hermangroup.com. Validated for many countries and cultures. We offer in-depth help with job descriptions, too! http://www.hermangroup.com/assessments.html. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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