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Telework Case Studies

KPMG, LLP
Washington, DC

KPMG’s telework program allows eligible employees to perform some of their work at home or at an alternative work location. The program is an integral part of KPMG’s culture of flexibility and one of the many Alternative Work Arrangements (AWA) available at the Audit, Tax and Advisory firm. In order to remain a competitive employer of choice in its industry, KPMG decided long ago that it needed to be flexible regarding where and when people work. “We wanted to be more attractive to both potential and current employees,” explains Kristen Piersol, Manager of Workplace Solutions – Midatlantic Area.  Read Case Study

Macro International Inc.
Bethesda, MD

Macro International Inc.—a consulting firm that specializes in research and evaluation, management consulting, marketing and communications, and information technology—employs approximately 950 full- and part-time people nationwide, with most concentrated in its two Washington, D.C. area offices (located in Bethesda and Calverton, Maryland). The company began its formal telework program in 2003, although some employees teleworked on an informal basis for years prior to that time. Read Case Study

National Wildlife Federation
Reston, VA

National Wildlife Federation launched its telework program about five years ago. The motivation for starting the program was twofold. Telework fits the Federation’s mission as a conservation organization, helping it to reduce traffic and thus giving it “a chance to walk the talk,” explains human resources director Maria Litman. The Federation’s second reason: attract and retain employees by helping people achieve work-life balance. Telework enhanced the Federation’s flexible work schedule program by providing employees with another option: They could work a condensed-hour day (4/10), a half-day every two weeks, or telework. People also have the option of working around a certain number of hours versus days. Read Case Study

City of Rockville
Rockville, MD

 The City implemented its telework program for several reasons. The program is an employee benefit. It reduces parking demand at City Hall. “We also wanted to be helpful on clean air and reducing Rockville traffic congestion,” explains Mary Kate Cole, a personnel administrator for Rockville. “The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments adopted a resolution in April 2000 that set a goal for employers to have 20 percent of their workforce teleworking by 2005,” recalls Cole. “The City received a grant from MWCOG to help launch the program.” Read Case Study

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)
Washington, DC
TIGTA’s telework program grew out of a task group that had been formed to make TIGTA a better place to work and to position the agency as an employer- of-choice. Every time the task group met, its members talked about wanting the flexibility to work from anywhere. “Telework just seemed to fit the bill,” recalls Donna Leach, Human Resources Specialist & Telework Program Manager. The task group talked with the inspector general (IG—the head of the agency) and proposed a pilot program. TIGTA itself was formed January 1999. The agency implemented its telework pilot in September 2000. The pilot was supposed to last nine to 12 months, but after six months the agency cut it short and made plans to move ahead. Program implementation began in August 2001.  Read Case Study

Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, (SMECO)
Hughesville, MD

In 2006, a committee was formed consisting of IT, Customer Service, HR, and Security as well as union representatives. The committee surveyed other cooperatives in an attempt to research other programs and best practices. SMECO found only one COOP in the Midwest that has implemented a telework program establishing themselves as a telework pioneer on the East Coast. The committee drafted telework procedures, remote office space procedures and requirements, technology needs and guidelines around the acceptable use of the Internet. In some cases existing policies and procedures were modified to accommodate the telework program Pre teleworking, SMECO had policies and procedure inplace with regard to the use of the Internet, work procedures and equipment. The new procedures addressed uses from a home office location. Read Case Study

Fairfax County Government
Fairfax, VA

Fairfax County implemented a pilot telework program in 1995. As a result of a successful pilot which lasted approximately one year, the County decided to implement the program County-wide to all departments. In 2002 the then and current chairman of the Fairfax County board of supervisors, Gerry Connolly, was also the chairman of MW-COG. As the chairman of MW-COG he made telework his primary initiative for MW-COG and established a 20% participation goal for all of the jurisdictions of MW-COG. He asked that all jurisdictions meet a goal of having 20% of eligible employees participating in the telework program by the end of 2005. In Fairfax, board of supervisors chair Gerry Connolly directed the county executive to enhance the county’s existing telework program to meet the regional goal. Read Case Study

GeoConcepts Engineering, Inc.
Ashburn, VA

GeoConcepts was one of the first firms to join the Telework Virginia! Program in 2000. Vivian Lewis, the President of GeoConcepts, had prior experience with telework and decided that the benefits could be leveraged into aiding in the start-up of their new business. GeoConcepts’ telework program officially began in 2001. “Telework Virginia! was a great mechanism to help us jump start our business, attract employees and increase morale.” GeoConcepts’ primary goal for their telework program was to retain and attract highly qualified employees who might otherwise be concerned by the length of their commutes. GeoConcepts is a family oriented company that is committed to being an employer of choice in the Metropolitan Washington region. At the conclusion of the two-year pilot program with Telework Virginia! GeoConcepts had five people teleworking, mainly women who were allowed to balance their work and family requirements more easily and improve their quality of life. Read Case Study

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
Rockville, MD

ASHA distinguished two types of telework – flexplace and telecommuting. Flexplace is a cooperative arrangement that allows an employee to work on a specific project from home or other work site outside the National Office on an occasional basis. Flexplace is a less formal arrangement than Telecommuting. All staff are eligible to participate, subject to their coach's approval. If you are using Flexplace, ASHA’s expectations are that:

• You need to work on a particular project or tasks

• You want/need seclusion and may request not to be interrupted. (These requests must be pre-planned and discussed ahead of time with your coach.)

• Someone should be able to contact you in the event of an urgent/critical need.

• Flexplace is not to be used in lieu of childcare.

• Opportunities are granted at the discretion of the coach.

• Your coach may request that you adjust your plans if issues should arise related to providing adequate coverage in your unit.

• Coaches should monitor productivity and availability and address issues that do not further the goals of the team. Read Case Study...

National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

Telework initially began at NIH as a flexible workplace arrangement benefit that was primarily used by employees as an accommodation to meet short-term medical needs. A successful one year pilot in 2001 to examine its benefits, costs, and impacts on employees, management, and the organization resulted in an expansion of the early initiative to a fully implemented program. Participation has grown steadily as Contact Shirley LaBella NIH Telework Coordinator 301-496-2288 labellas@od.nih.gov a result of several things, recruiting and retention efforts, a new leadership team, and continuity of operations planning. “Telework has proven itself to be a win-win strategy for increasing both employee satisfaction and productivity”, says Christine Major, Director of the NIH Office of Human Resources. “Ours is an evolving model, with staff in a growing number of positions able to work effectively wherever they are and enjoy the benefits of telework.” The goal of the program is to help staff be successful and effective with teleworking so that in the long term, they contribute to a business solution trusted by managers, peers and the organization – a responsibility not taken lightly by NIH. Read Case Study...