Working From Home a Work in Progress

About 30 percent of federal employees have been deemed ineligible to participate in telework programs because their jobs require them to be in the office (such as doctors and clerical staff) or at a certain place (such as forest rangers). Other employees are not eligible because they handle sensitive or classified information.

Agencies told the OPM that they had denied telecommuting privileges to 2,458 employees in 2005 because of poor job performance ratings.

In addition to office staffing requirements, agencies said growth in telecommuting would be slowed by "organizational culture," management resistance and computer security issues.

Only 27 agencies said they had made plans to use telecommuting as an option for dealing with an emergency, suggesting that many agencies are still considering how best to use at-home workers to keep their operations going if offices have to be closed. The White House has urged agencies to make telework a part of their planning for a possible flu epidemic.

Some data in the report suggested that agencies may not be prepared to justify their telecommuting programs, however. A majority of the agencies in the survey -- 44 -- said they did not track or did not know what they gained by allowing employees to work from home.

But several agencies said they found that telework improved recruitment, productivity and morale. Several agencies said telecommuting was holding down transportation and real estate costs.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.