Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Kaine Pushes State Telework Policy

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by

James A. Bacon
in

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s action yesterday in expanding the state’s telework policy to the 120 employees working in the Governor’s office and cabinet is no more than a single step. But it pushes the Commonwealth of Virginia along on a very important journey.

“Rising fuel prices, the escalating cost of commuting to work, worsening traffic congestion and reduced air quality compel a change in the business culture of state agencies,” Kaine said in a press release. “Telework reduces energy consumption, both in the amount of gasoline used for daily commuting and in office building energy costs. This policy provides a timely opportunity to create a culture of conservation within the state workforce, which can serve as an example for Virginia businesses in the private sector.”

Well, technically, Kaine’s announcement wasn’t the first step. But the governor’s announcement serves as a prod to the private sector to make similar accommodations.

According to the press release, more than four dozen employees of the Cabinet and Governor’s Office had already started teleworking or utilizing alternative schedules for part of their work week. Nearly 23,000 state employees have been ascertained to be eligible for telework, based on the nature of their work — and 5,000 are actually engaged in it. The Department of Taxation alone has 591 teleworking employees.

Another 24,000 state employees are eligible to work alternate schedules such as 10-hour, four-day work weeks — and 14,000 do.

Meanwhile, Kaine is asking state agencies to work with their employees to encourage use of alternate transportation. A recent survey indicated 16,218 of Virginia’s approximately 95,000 state employees use some form of alternate transportation – public transportation, van pools, car pools, even bicycles – to commute to work.

These are all positive developments. Kaine should be commended, and the Commonwealth should serve as an inspiration to others who have yet to embrace the possibilities created by laptops, cell phones, PDAs and the like.

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  1. floodguy Avatar
    floodguy

    In the opinion of the PJM Interconnection, changes such as these increase the demand for electricity. Source: PJM Interconnection request to DOE for Early Designation Status of NIETC March 2006, and Comments on the DOE Congestion Study Aug 2006

  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Floodguy, let’s all live in caves. Let’s stop sending kids to school. Let’s give up jobs and live on whatever we can grow in the backyard — if the local covenants allow it.

    We need energy. Short of shooting all these state employees, there is nothing Kaine could have done that would require no energy.

    This is a very positive step by Tim Kaine. Kudos.

    TMT

  3. charlie Avatar
    charlie

    wow. As a good Democrat I can’t believe I’m reading this here; and what is more I get even more upset at Kaine. He can’t do anything to get a political solution, but he can order some state workers to work from home. That is REAL leadership.

  4. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    well.. here’s the question… if we have to pay more for transportation…would you rather pay it to VDOT for more roads or would you rather pay it for this:

    http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/activities/files/Draft%20State%20Rail%20Plan%20Overview%20Presentation%207-14-08.pdf

  5. J. Tyler Ballance Avatar
    J. Tyler Ballance

    Telework and flex-schedules do not have to be in lieu of other transportation solutions, they are just part of a comprehensive solution.

    Governor Kaine should push hard to get all governmental agencies to do more to get cars off of the road during peak travel times.

    Telework, if done correctly, can enhance productivity. Some folks who work from home are making themselves available for expanded hours, so they are more accessible to the citizens than if they were at the office.

    We will continue to face traffic problems for the rest of our lives if population continues to rise, so we may as well plan for the reality that we cannot build enough roads to alleviate the growing congestion.

    If we repealed the Fair Housing Act, neighborhoods would become more stable and many who fled to the far rural reaches, could return to neighborhoods closer to town where mass transit would be effective.

  6. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    Tyler, could you elaborate on the connection between the Fair Housing Act and the flight to the “rural reaches”? I hadn’t heard of that before.

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    This post is off topic but I thought many of the regulars here at BR would appreciate the link below.

    Essentially, UDA’s (Urban Development Areas) are not off to a good start in Frederick County.

    Here’s the URL to the story…

    http://tinyurl.com/5gm6kd

    I have a feeling this may be a sign of things to come – statewide.

  8. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Oh great…let them work from home–in their bathrobes! My employer likes to see me in the office working on his dime. And I’m there working on the business for which I’m paid (note the time of this entry, after work on my own PC).

    This work from home sounds like it will just legitimatize activity like “What’s his name” a couple of years ago making dozens of posts making fun of Martinsville’s problems on taxpayers’ time.

  9. posting in my jammies Avatar
    posting in my jammies

    I seem to remember “what’s his name” said he was doing his job while he made those posts. You obviously didn’t believe him, but we’re supposed to believe that you are a model of diligence under the boss’s watchful eye because … well, because you said so, without identifying yourself or your progressive employer.

  10. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    The slippery slope of work from home.

    First, a company runs a pilot work from home program. People in certain jobs are allowed to work from home rather than coming into the office for a couple of days a week. Then, they stop coming in almost completely. Then, more join the crowd. Finance trumpets the decrease in real estate required to run the company. HR touts the increase in morale.

    People start moving. If they can work for the state of Virginia at their home in Short Pump they can work for the state of Virginia from their home in Staunton (closer to, say, sister and brother). The employer starts to realize that they have people on the payroll that haven’t been seen in a while. Some employees decide that, instead of retiring, they will “work from Naples, FL”. So, they move to Naples and call into the conference calls, etc.

    Then the employer has a revelation. If people can work a Richmond based job from Staunton or Naples then the job can be worked from Wise County or, say, Bangalore. The ever-so-clever employess who spent mornings on conference calls and their PC while still in their PJs now have a problem. They have sown the seeds of their own demise. Instead of having afternoons off to jog or skim the backyard pool, they now have an unemployed lifetime off to do what they want. And the job market in Staunton or Naples? Not so good.

    My advice? If you are going to work from home:

    1. Stay in touch all through the workday – via Instant Messenger, eMail, conference call, telephone, even desktop videoconferencing. If somebody calls your “home office” during the day – you’d better answer the phone.

    2. Make sure that your output can be measured ans is measured. Have a very specific workplan from your boss. Provide more than the usual progress reporting.

    3. Make it a point to get to the office on a regular basis. One day a week, one week a month – something like that.

    4. See customers in person if you have a front office job. Schedule time in their offices. Write up contact reports and send them to your boss.

    Even with all that – a white collar worker in India costs about 20% – 25% what a white collar worker in the US costs. Even if it takes 2 Indians to do the job (based on communications issues, time zones, etc) it’s still about half the price. Once you convince the boss that your position can be filled from a distance you open a door. You’ll have to accept whatever walks through.

    I think the idea of satellite offices make a lot of sense. The state of Virginia could take some office space in Short Pump or Staunton or Wise County. These would be general purpose offices where people from various groups could work. A teleconference facility could be ecomomically installed (since it would be shared by all the people in the satellite). Now you get to work fast but you are physically present.

    Barring that, I think it’s better to move closer to work and show up every day.

  11. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Yeah “Jammies” he was doing his job while he was posting…um…er…he said.

    You can see from the times of my post, it was outside of normal work hours.

  12. Michael Ryan Avatar
    Michael Ryan

    For Larry – I get the best of both worlds. I telecommute at least a day per week, and I work for VDOT.

    For Groveton – already occurring, but in a backwards way. VDOT IT folks go on vacation to visit home in India, and telecommute in part time, so they burn their vacation time at a lower rate.

  13. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    Most of the people who work for me have very clear, measurable goals. Things like sales and contract profit. For those people – I don’t really care of they work from home, work from vacation, whatever. In an interesting twist, they are the least likely to spend many weekdays at home and they nver relocate to some vacationland while claiming to be working.

    I have a few back office people working for me. Finance, HR, low intensity product development. These people are the masters of work at home. I have them all on instant messenger. When I send them a message I expect an answer. When I call their home office I expect the phone to be answered. When they go to lunch I expect that they will update their instant messenger “away message” indicating that they will be away from their “desk” for an hour. Also, as far as I am concerned, a working vacation is a vacation. If you go to Kiawah Island – you are on vacation and need to take a vacation day. I’d suggest organizing your schedule to not work but that’s your business.

    People in the United States (myself included) need to realize that they have become very fungible with people in other countries. Using work from home as a way of slacking will have consequences.

  14. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    “For Groveton – already occurring, but in a backwards way. VDOT IT folks go on vacation to visit home in India, and telecommute in part time, so they burn their vacation time at a lower rate.”.

    Hmmmm …. VDOT IT personnel logging into development libraries and (possibly) production systems from residences in India? I hope you guys have thought through the security implications of that. It can be done in a secure manner but that requires a fair amount of work.

  15. floodguy Avatar
    floodguy

    @ TMT

    “Floodguy, let’s all live in caves… We need energy. Short of shooting all these state employees, there is nothing Kaine could have done that would require no energy.

    This is a very positive step by Tim Kaine. Kudos.”

    I’m sorry TMT, I kind of threw that post out there. It was sort of a spillover comment from other posted topic current to this one.

    I am all for telework. Its a good move and about time.

    As our lifestyle change due to innovations, it creates the need for more electricity, even though people are being educated and are using less electricity.

    The only point I was making is that there is no escaping the increased demand for electricity. That’s a reality which leads to the need for the usage or the potential use of all resources at our disposal, while the nation undergoes a transformation from fossil-based to clean(er).

    I’m all for green, clean and renewables; but I’m also realistic. Other interests and problems, right or wrong, do exist. For example Al Gore today says the U.S. should make all electric power 100% non-carbon based by 2018. My 1st impression was “absolutely stunning”. My 2nd impression was “absolutely stunning.”.

    Intermittent renewables, especially in less geographically favored regions, will undoubtedly need much natural gas to back them up. The smart grid will need to be implemented gridwise, in order to soften the need for gas usage, and that’s going to take time. And in case the smart grid doesn’t create enough resources thru EEC which it intends to do, the gas has to be there just in case.

    What’s going to replace the retiring coal? I am assuming Gore is 100% in favor of nuclear expansion. That’s good.

    But the 10 year timeframe? I’d love to see the plan to implement that! I can’t fathom how that can be accomplished. Anyone have any suggestions?

  16. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    My take on Gore’s message was the same – breathtaking.

    and I found myself thinking.. like others.. I’d like to hear more about how to do it.

    I think – many Americans know that some sacrifice will be necessary bu they also are pretty uncomfortable about the future – if changes are not made.

    What we don’t have – is a roadmap.

    It doesn’t need to be the inviolate truth from on high – it can be merely version 1 of many future versions…as we move through a process.

    and I don’t think we begin the trip until we have some leadership that … tasks the Energy department to put together version 1 on that plan.

    Someone like Gore… he would do just that; he would put together a blue-ribbon commission… with a diverse membership .. to hammer out an initial approach.. a starting place for people to focus on and add to or take away from.. but a process of building an approach to move forward.

    Kaine did something like this …but merely asking the question … what IF we really will see some impacts from Global Warming… what would they be.

    He’s not suggesting any kind of a strategy to attempt to prevent it – just asking the question .. what would be impacted if it turns out that it … ‘might’ be true?

    That seems prudent. At least start thinking about what the focus of potential actions ‘might’ be.. and certainly ..what they probably will not be….

    …thinking ahead.. not a bad ethic

  17. Jim Bacon Avatar
    Jim Bacon

    I find Groveton’s comments illuminating. He spotlights what is probably the greatest challenge to the spread of telework, the difficulty that managers have in manging employees who aren’t in the office. Groveton offers a number of useful suggestions.

    To build upon his thoughts… There really is no need to worry about employers waking up and realizing that if someone can do the job in Short Pump, someone can do the job in Mumbai. (I do believe he was engaging in some of his trademark satire by spinning that scenario.)

    The irony is that, even as technology untethers work from the workplace, work also is becoming more of a collaborative pursuit and less of a solitary one. People are spending more time in face-to-face, collaborative environments. So, what happens, many if not most “telecommuters” are really “teleworkers,” who are equipped to work at home, or on the road, or in a partner’s office, or at a meeting with a client at Starbucks — or in the main office.

    The idea of “telecommuters” is really a quaint misnomer, implying that all the work can be done at home. Sometimes that’s true. But the phenomenon of “telework” is much larger and broader, and far more revolutionary.

  18. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    I’m a skeptic and tend to think this is overblown – but I’ve been known to be wrong also.

    First, I’d like to know what percentage of jobs – are feasible – to be done as “telework”?

    Then… I thinking… of a wide array of jobs from School Teacher, to med tech to real estate to restaurant manager … none of which will even be in any way, shape or form anything other than not telework.

    so..then I’m thinking..like Groveton… if a job can be don as telework… what exactly is the product being produced and can the quality and quantity of it be “measured” in a way that at the least – one could have some idea of it’s value.

    I’m not discounting telework or the fact that it exists and can and is not only a fact of life – but in fact an absolute necessity for some kinds of work.

    but I do so so many other kinds of work that are so much part of the physical realm that I have a hard time seeing them done as “telework”..

    Now.. this does not mean, for instance, that a home-builder does not take full advantage of modern communications… to leverage those technologies to make him/her more efficient, more productive, more flexible, …. more…

    but as far as NOT getting into a car to go from point A to point B to get the job done… no way.

    so how many jobs can conceivably be done through the ether?

    what percentage?

    is it… 5%, 40% or 70%?

    we need to know this… because right now.. we are treating telework like it is holy-grail-like in dealing transportation issues.. and I’m a bit skeptical…

    Even for Groveton… does he do “telework”? If so.. why is he a regular visitor … to cities around the world? Would it not be cheaper, quicker, better to “tele” this work?

  19. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “The only point I was making is that there is no escaping the increased demand for electricity.”

    My point exactly. sooner or later someone is going to be stuck with the consequences.

    We need to figure out a fair way to pay for the power lines and a fair way to site new power supplies, so the thte neighbors don’t wind absorbing an unfair cost burden.

    We need to fix the eminent domain laws and strengthen property rights.

    ———————-

    The teaser said that Gore was holding out for 100% renewables, but in fact it turns out he included nuclear: he just doesn’t want to burn any fossil fuels.

    RH

  20. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    We are treating telework, and a lot of other reasonably good ideas like they were the is holy-grail-like in dealing transportation issues.. and I’m a bit skeptical…

    There are probably good ideas that are better in some cases than others, and we probaly could use some of each – at the right place and time.

    So you go out and try to promote a good idea, and eventually it gets used badly. Then what you have is an abused susbsidy, but that doesn’t mean that either the idea was bad or the subsidy was bad. After things go wrong we point fingers everywhere except at the abusers.

    RH

  21. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    what good is a “good idea” that gets used “badly”?

  22. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    and let’s get to the root of this here:

    what percentage of traffic – or other perceived or real adverse impacts – are caused by traffic that could be tele-worked?

    this is the skeptic part of this for me.

    Just like subsidies.. and incentives.. and the vague and flabby “benefits” of stuff like “Smart Growth” or “Mixed Use”, I’d like to see quantified data – not vague suppositions …as those suppositions are the first paved step to hell with good intentions.

    if tele-work is something worth doing – let’s put it into numbers that relate directly to the problem it is said to be addressing.

    otherwise.. I would posit – that perhaps we’re really not that interested in real solutions… only yammering about “good ideas” – the ultimate “feel good” approach to problem solving.

    when “we”, the chattering class – yammer so non-specifically – our leaders, our politicians – ..their gut response is to “pander”. It’s as predictable as pavlov’s dogs

    So.. when Kaine sez “tele-work”.. are we expecting benefits or just “ataboys” for him “thinking right”?

    How many rush-hour cars are converted to garaged vehicles?

    is it 5, or 500, or 5000?

    I know.. it’s downright fun-killing to ask for such data.

    Why can’t we be satisfied with the best of intentions – alone?

    Our entire problem with VDOT, with government – is a lack of performance metrics – because we ourselves – make it clear to our leaders that we are satisfied with a lot less than performance – and easily satisfied with “style”.

    Politicians are not stupid.

    Why get all hot and bothered about something.. if a nicely worded soundbite will suffice?

    Don’t get me wrong here.. on a scale of 1 to 10.. Kaine is a 6 and Howell and the Republicans are a 2 when what we need is an 8.

  23. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “Just like subsidies.. and incentives.. and the vague and flabby “benefits” of stuff like “Smart Growth” or “Mixed Use”, I’d like to see quantified data – not vague suppositions …as those suppositions are the first paved step to hell with good intentions.

    if tele-work is something worth doing – let’s put it into numbers that relate directly to the problem it is said to be addressing.”

    That can’t be Larry Gross: sounds more like RH

    Anon Zora

  24. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    If someone opts for telework or transit, does that relieve congeted roads, or just offer another chance for induced traffic?

    RH

  25. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    re: sounding more like RH

    yeah.. surprised me too when I read it…

    but you gotta look closer – or perhaps I need to do a better job of being clear.

    I take no prisoners on subsidies.

    I’m not only opposed to new ones but I’d like to get rid of the existing ones also whereas RH considers existing subsidies as “property rights” if not mistaken.

  26. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I dunno. Gotta take it one case ata time.

    For example EMR claims that anything too far from the center of town is subsidized.

    Now, If I had a road in front of my house for 200 years, and suddenly the county claimed it was a subsidy they were going to eliminate, then you might have a claim on that as a property right, similar to the way someone might get adverse possession.

    I’d suggest that whether a property right exists would depend on the expectations that had been set.

    Clearly, if a subsidy is set that has a sunset clause, there can be no expectations.

    But looking at the mortgage interest deduction, it has a long history AND it was desisgned to give parity with landlords, so there are two kinds of expectations.

    I don’t see the mortgage nterest deduction going away, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be bought out, like any property right. My vision doesn’t mean nothing can ever change, just that a fair buyout from the previous condition might be required.

    It prevents thoughtless seizing of things that are not ours, and which others have come to depend on – even if by our previous inaction.

    RH

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