WHAT'S BETTER than
Perhaps you are one of the few who are fortunate enough to have an alternate work schedule, putting in nine or 10 hours a day in exchange for a day off every two weeks.
Better yet, you may be counted among the elite who get to telecommute one or more days each week instead of making the long journey to work each day.
We've heard a lot about telecommuting over the years. It makes a lot of sense to be able to work from home or a telework center, without having to make a long commute.
But in the federal world, many managers still have not fully grasped the concept, fearing that they will lose control of their employees' time and attention.
I think the same is true in the private sector. Telecommuting is being done by some employees, but not enough to really make a difference in office space or energy costs.
But be that as it may, President Bush is encouraging federal employers to increase telecommuting programs to help reduce gasoline consumption while the nation recovers from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
To meet that goal, the General Services Administration has offered to open its telework centers at no charge to federal agencies through the end of the year.
We have three telework centers known as the Fredericksburg Regional/Woodbridge Telework Centers right here among us, and they're covered by the free-space offer from GSA. The Fredericksburg Center is located at Southpoint in the Massaponax area of Spotsylvania County; the Stafford Center is just off State Route 610; and the Woodbridge Center is on Minnieville Road.
These centers have been in operation for several years. In fact, when I looked at them for a column back in early 2003, they were doing a little better as far as overall utilization rate goes.
During fiscal 2002, the overall utilization rate for all three centers was about 63 percent. Currently the average utilization rate is about 48 percent. So as you see, telecommuting hasn't exactly caught fire.
The program director did indicate that since the offer of free space was made, inquiries have increased. However, as with most activity involving the federal government, these things take time, so it may actually be awhile before more employees get signed up to use the centers.
On average, workers use the center two days a week to telecommute. As with everything else, there are extremes. Some workers may telecommute as little as one day a week or even one day a pay period. Two employees actually telecommute full time. They work out of the center every day and go in to their office only for important meetings.
To find out more about telework, employees can contact the center directly, or an agency telecommuting coordinator will contact the center on behalf of the employee. Jennifer Thomas Alcott directs the three area centers.
Remember, approvals must come from the agency, not the employee. You can't just spring it on your boss one day and say, "Guess where I'll be working Monday?"
If you were wondering about the cost to your agency once this "free" promotion is over, it's $520 a month for one employee to have full-time use of the center.
For anything less than full time, the rates are pro-rated. To give you an example, an employee working in the Fredericksburg or Stafford center one day each week could expect his or her agency to pay about $104 a month.
By the way, that gives employees 24/7 access to the telework center. The centers are staffed only during normal business hours, but telework clients still have access around the clock.
So there you have it. It's a great way to save time, money and wear and tear on you. Now if you can just get your boss to buy it, you're in.
If you need more information, you can visit telework.gov or contact the Fredericksburg-area centers by e-mailing jtalcott@nocommute.org or calling 540/710-5001.
MICHAEL KOLE of Spotsylvania County commutes to Alexandria. Write him c/o Commuter Crossroads, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401. Or e-mail newsroom@