Teleworking

1. Teleworking Charlotte Ford-Cunningham Jeremy Hilgeford Stephanie Hilgeford Jessica Long Lois Robinson

2. History of DLA teleworking History: DLA teleworking program began July 11, 2003. Federal Government The main legislative mandate for telework was established in 2000 (§ 359 of Public Law 106-346). HR 1722 was signed into law by President Obama on December 9, 2010. The bill is known as the Telework Enhancement Act, the bill aims to increase the work-at-home opportunities for federal employees.

3. Core Question: Core question: Is there a misconception among the DLA employees about the telework program?

4. Sub-Questions Does the program define how much time an employee can take out of a business day to handle personal matters while working at home? How are the results of teleworking measured? What reports indicate the company is better off because of teleworking? What reports indicate the quality of work is better due to teleworking? How should we tackle the misconceptions going forward?

5. Sub-Questions (cont) Can we identify the benefits to the program for both the employee and the company today versus when the program initially began in 2003? Does DLA have the right to ask an employee to come in to attend a mandatory meeting, etc. no matter what type of personal matter the employee needs to attend to? 8. Should the company place a “reasonable request” clause in the telework application? Reasonable Request – this clause would only be in place for those employees that feel they have a pattern of activity that they feel they could not be removed from if the company requested a mandatory meeting. Example: taking terminally ill parent to the Dr. every Tuesday?

6. Research Purpose and Rationale Why is this an important area of study? New Legislation / New Opportunities What does the team want to do with the information that is gathered and analyzed? Educate work force on Telework Policy and Procedures What does the team hope to accomplish through the research? Clear up misconceptions / encourage opportunity Who or what does the team hope to influence through the study? DLA HQ Commander / DLA Employees

7. Research Setting and Context Combat support agency for the DOD. Provides fuel, food, clothing, spare parts, and medical supplies to the military services. Central logistics provider for the military. Formed in 1961 as the Defense Supply Agency, became DLA in 1977. ERP effort commenced in 2002, made telework possible. Telework efforts made mandatory through legislation.

8. Construction of Instrument and Data Collection Exploratory and Descriptive research will yield information regarding: The current teleworking procedures and policies Employee perceptions of the current procedures and policies Employee attitudes towards the implementation and management of the current procedures and policies Qualitative Focus groups, interviews, free response survey questions Quantitative Likert-type survey Preliminary data collection; “test” survey

9. Data Analysis Qualitative Data will be collected from the focus groups and the open-ended question on the employee survey Statistical software: CATPAC Word and phrase counts Develop a frequency table List, in abbreviated form, the comment and thoughts

10. Data Analysis (cont) Quantitative Data will be collected from the direct questions on the employee survey The survey is a ranking survey which we will use descriptive analysis Measure frequencies, mode, median, and range

11. Data Analysis (cont) Formats Agency Results Agency Results separated by the three levels of authority Site specific results Site specific results separate by the three levels of authority

12. Review of Relevant Literature Government Research & Legislation Telework Enhancement Act 2007, 2010 Telework.gov: Provides research and reports from government agencies (GSA, OPM, GAO) OPM annual reports on the status of telework in government agencies GAO critiques Public Research- WorldatWork Telework Advisory Group (WorldatWork, 2005) Exploring Telework as a Business Continuity Strategy: A Guide to Getting Started (WorldAtWork, 2007) Attraction and Retention: The Impact and Prevelance of Work-Life & Benefit Programs (WorldatWork, 2010) Telework Trends 2009

13. Data Presentation Formal presentation to Champion, Deputy Director Power point presentation with research summary, key findings and graphic presentation of data Formal report with executive summary Bi-monthly meetings; monthly reports to Deputy Director

14. Timeline Phase I (2 months) Phase II (3 months) Phase III (2 months) Phase IV (2 months) Phase V (2 months)

15. Resources Our team of 5 personnel to conduct focus group and to analyze results to develop survey Focus Group of 25-30 personnel Give sample survey to a controlled group. (75 to 100 personnel) Contact Denison Consulting to review and implement survey to DLA locations then tally results to be presented to command. All meetings will be scheduled on site

16. Permissions • Permissions for our project are two pronged: • Deputy Director (Champion) • DSCC Commanding General • Final results to be presented to DLA HQ to Admiral

17. Ethical Considerations Security Measures Confidentiality Process Accurate Reporting Reporting the Raw Data

18. Expected Outcomes & Proposed Actions Employee misconceptions of telework policy Recommendations to address misconceptions: Training programs for supervisors Training programs for employees Telework resources and policy information accessible to employees Follow up research