Telework Act Not Affecting Training

Eighty-eight percent of respondents to a survey said the Telework Enhancement Act has not impacted their training priorities.

Arlington, Va. — Aug. 17

Government professionals responding to a recent informal survey from American Management Association (AMA) said the Telework Enhancement Act has not impacted their training priorities (88.7 percent), and leadership development is still the top priority for both FY11 and FY12. A solid majority, 86.8 percent, said they have not built in increased training to accommodate the Telework Enhancement Act for their FY12 budget.

While only 4.4 percent of respondents said their training and development budget has increased because of the Telework Enhancement Act, 49.1 percent said the budget has stayed the same, and 5.3 percent said the budget has decreased. Some organizations noted that they might put in for a supplemental request for increased budget for FY12.

Only 16.7 percent of respondents said they’re adding specific classes that address telework needs. Several commented that they’re not rolling out specific telework training programs, and that there is no change in training around telework planned at this time.

“Increasing telework for government personnel is an interesting topic,” said Sam Davis, vice president, AMA Enterprise Government Solutions. “It requires upfront expenditures to do it right — training the managers, training the employees who’ll be teleworking, not to mention the logistics and equipment considerations. But the long-term savings could be significant —including a motivated and more loyal workforce.”

Source: American Management Association