More than three-quarters of federal workers given access to flex scheduling or telecommuting say that the arrangement led them to perform better and made them more likely to continue working for their agency. (Photo: Shutterstock)
A new report credits flexible schedules and telecommuting with making federal employees happier and more productive.
The report was based on a survey sent to federal employees by the Office of Personnel Management. More than 64,000 federal workers responded, providing a goldmine of information about the work habits at the nation's largest civilian employer.
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Federal agencies began adopting work policies aimed at providing workers with better work-life balances after the passage of the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010.
Thirty-five percent of workers reported that they are allowed to telecommute at least some of the time. Fifty-four percent say they have flexible work schedules. More than three-quarters of those given access to either say that the arrangement led them to perform better and made them more likely to continue working for their agency.
Employees who are allowed to work from home or schedule their commutes around their personal lives were more likely to report high job satisfaction. Seventy-nine percent of those who telecommute and 74 percent with flexible schedules say they're satisfied, compared to 69 percent of those who do neither.
Nearly all federal employees –– 96 percent –– say they would like to either telecommute or have a more flexible work schedule.
Workers who telecommute were slightly more likely to have received top performance ratings than other employees: 76 percent versus 72 percent.
A large number of federal workers will likely never have access to more flexible work arrangements, simply because their jobs require them to be at certain places during certain hours. Park rangers and air traffic controllers, for instance.
However, 12 percent of those who do not telework say that their jobs would allow such an arrangement but that their superiors did not approve of it.
Workers report a great deal of work-family conflicts. Despite the adoption of flexible work policies aimed at facilitating work-life balance, 83 percent of employees say that their personal and work commitments clash at times.
The report concluded: "The results indicate agencies offer a variety of work-life programs and workplace flexibilities, employees are using them, and there is a desire to be able to use more of them. Leadership support is critical to integrating work and personal demands, and the results highlight the need for increased awareness and managerial training."
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