Telework Gives FEMA a Helping Hand

For one week this last March, hundreds of thousands of workers from around the world made the commitment to telework. This year’s Telework Week resulted in a 91 percent increase in involvement in 2011, with more than 130,000 total pledges! These record numbers really show the momentum of telework in both the public and private sector. And speaking of public sector – 82 percent of this year’s pledges came from federal employees.

One agency in particular saw resounding success from the initiative – the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA’s goal to prepare for and respond fast to natural disasters and mobilize massive resources as needed makes it vital for the agency to be mobile. So FEMA has embraced an expansive mobility initiative including an increased focus on telework. During this year’s Telework Week, 3,300 of FEMA’s 5,500 full-time employees logged more than 46,000 hours of telework.

Telework is only one aspect of the mobility initiative, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting since it impacts the culture and the way people work and learn. As part of the mobility initiative, FEMA will be reducing leased office buildings and adding more open, collaborative spaces. To ensure successful transitions, the agency is providing training and resources on the new technologies as well as the skills needed to work in the new mobile culture.

Check out what Mark Misczak, Deputy Director, Individual Assistance Division, FEMA recently shared with Federal News Radio about how he’s seen the telework culture change within government.

Will this uptick in telework continue across the board? Next year, will your agency join FEMA and make the pledge?