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From what I can tell, anything really worth having or doing in life comes in fits and starts. The things worth fighting for and the things you have to struggle to achieve are often the things that mean the most. How does the adage go again? Good things don’t come easily?
It seems telework is no different. The telework measure was rejected by the U.S. House of Representatives last week. Introduced by Representative John Sarbanes of Maryland, the measure would have required uniform rules for federal employees who work at sites other than their regular government offices.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated a cost of $30 million for the government over the next five years. The figure, however does not take into account financial savings possible through telework, which is more difficult to estimate with accuracy.
Despite this setback, it is important to note that a similar telework bill was approved by the House in 2008. Unfortunately it was not passed in the Senate. But it is likely that the measure will be reintroduced soon with hope of passage.
It is interesting to me that here in Minnesota we seem to see very strong bipartisan support of the telework bill, yet the issue is more polarized in Washington DC. I have hypotheses as to why that may be, but what do you think the reason may be? Can a telework bill pass soon?
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Recently, we have seen great strides in telework locally and federally. It’s really wonderful to see private and public sectors working together in a non-partisan manner for telework as a means to improve society as a whole. With the success of our Telework Twin Cities program, an ever-growing number of companies utilizing eWorkPlace services, and local public officials verbalizing their support for our work, we have been pleased as punch here at headquarters (and since we are a teleworking program, headquarters is pretty much everywhere!).
Major federal advances were also made for telework on April 14 when a House committee approved a government telework bill that "would require federal agencies to adopt policies allowing employees to work away from the office, with exceptions for those whose jobs cannot be performed elsewhere. Each agency would have to designate a telework managing officer to oversee the policies."
Passed by The Oversight and Government Reform Committee with bipartisan support and little debate, the voice vote added to the telework momentum in recent months. It is likely that a House vote will be scheduled by Memorial Day and we are looking forward to it.
Times they are a'changin'. Expect even greater strides for telework in the coming months!
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to inform you about some good news. Wait. GREAT news!
Telework Twin Cities has been getting some great press lately. Even public officials are taking note.
Minneapolis mayor RT Rybak (D), Saint Paul mayor Chris Coleman (D), Bloomington mayor Gene Winstead (R), and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) have all unanimously proclaimed April 2010 “Explore and Experience Telework Month”.
It is really wonderful to see all the support across the aisle for telework. You can see Governor Pawlenty’s proclamation posted on our website as a PDF file here.
For those of you without Adobe, the proclamation text follows:
“State of Minnesota Proclamation
WHEREAS: Telework is the practice of working from home via technology such as internet and mobile devices; and
WHEREAS: There are many benefits of telework in Minnesota, from reducing traffic congestion to conserving energy; and
WHEREAS: Telework helps Minnesota families thrive and businesses prosper due to increased flexibility gained through the integration of work, home, and community; and
WHEREAS: Telework is an initiative of eWorkPlace, a state-sponsored program for Twin Cities Metro Area employers; and
WHEREAS: As an innovative model, eWorkPlace seeks to change and enhance the way Minnesota companies conduct business and increase awareness of the value of telework.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, TIM PAWLENTY, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2010, as:
EXPLORE AND EXPERIENCE TELEWORK MONTH in the State of Minnesota.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota to be affixed at the State Capitol this 22nd day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand and ten, and of the State the one hundred fifty-first.”
It’s going to be a great April, folks! Happy teleworking!
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Calling all employers and employees! We are happy to announce that Telework Twin Cities will be coming soon to a workplace near you…
What’s this, you say?
eWorkPlace is encouraging Twin Cities metro area commuters to register and make the pledge to telework for one or more days per week from April 11-24 just in time to celebrate Earth Day.
Already on board are Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak, Saint Paul mayor Chris Coleman, and Bloomington mayor Gene Winstead! The three mayors have already proclaimed April 2010 “Explore and Experience Telework” month!
In addition, we are pleased to provide access to free telework training as well as sample proposals to address with managers and learn about the “business case” for telework.
Telework Twin Cities benefits for the world:
- Help the environment
- Promote workplace efficiency
- Reduce strain on transportation infrastructure
Telework Twin Cities benefits for you:
- Save time!
- Save $$$!
- Register and be eligible to win gift cards, netbooks, and an Apple iPad!
Now is your chance to get on board and make a difference!
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
We have about one month, give or take, until the end of 2009. Like many people, when something is near its end, I often start thinking about new beginnings. I circle back and forth and around. I think about what became, what could have been, and what should be.
Take congestion, for example.
According to the Metropolitan Freeway System 2008 Congestion Report, Twin Cities freeways actually saw a substantial drop in congestion, from 20.9% in 2007 to 17.3%. I know that is difficult to swallow when you’re sitting in traffic after a long day’s work, but from the numbers alone it seems like we have been making some headway.
I suppose my worry is that people see this as good news and will become complacent in following years. So it is important to note that according to many experts, the reduction we saw in congestion was actually due to the economy.
Fewer jobs and less money = less traffic.
Like everybody, I would prefer the economy to grow and reduce congestion all at once.
Will the 2009 Congestion Report show another drop? Will congestion because of the poor economy or because of proactive efforts like eWorkPlace?
All I know is that we must actively continue working on lowering congestion in 2010. The eWorkPlace program cannot make congestion disappear, but it certainly helps to reduce the problem and raise the benefits.
P.S. If you’re already taking advantage of our eWorkPlace program, you may find our instructional YouTube channel helpful. There you can learn about how to use the Commute Tool, Tracker, and Survey to help us measure the effects of our efforts.
P.P.S. Someone make me this shirt.
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Last week we held an eWorkPlace telework event at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute and it went off without a hitch with nearly full auditorium Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen and especially to everyone who was able to come!
In case you missed it, the presentation materials are available on our website. We had some great presentations by Terry Carroll of Fairview Health Services, Professor Erin Kelly of Minnesota, and William Schroeer of Smart Growth America.
The business daily Finance and Commerce wrote a great article summarizing our efforts. Definitely check it out.
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
I was walking through the grocery store the other day when I heard an advertisement for eWorkPlace on the radio for the very first time. Maybe it sounds silly, but it was great to hear with my own ears that all the hard work put in by the eWorkPlace team is up and running!
Not only are we on the radio, but there are many spots where eWorkPlace is visible, including many online sites, out of home ads, and e-newsletters. Heck, here we are in the news!
What we are interested in learning is whether you have seen or heard any of these advertisements? Where have you seen or heard them? What do you think? In your opinion, what has the message been?
Please comment below and let us know your thoughts!
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Welcome to the new eWorkPlace blog!
As our initiative launches, I am excited to create a space for the information and discussion on all things related to teleworking. Other parts of our website will list comprehensive telework benefits, or provide eWorkPlace free tools, answer any questions you may have, and much, much more.
This blog will be the place to visit to discuss everything from telework in the news, interesting methods around the world to make teleworking easier, discuss the impact of teleworking, and perhaps even follow an individual’s personal experience with teleworking.
If you are interested in contributing as a blogger on any of these topics or have any topics you would like to see us cover, please do not hesitate to contact us at (insert email address here) or comment below. To make this a useful tool and a welcoming community, we certainly need your input.
In this first entry, I think it’ll be good to start simply and begin with a history lesson. But instead of lectures and notes, you can watch a YouTube video instead. Isn’t the internet great? Enjoy:
Well, welcome again and I look forward to hearing from you. I promise the next video will be more interesting. Through this blog and this initiative as a whole, we hope to transform the way Minnesota thinks about work!
Adeel Lari, M.B.A., P.E.
Director of Innovative Financing, Research Fellow, and Teleworker
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
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