Telework, once a necessity during the pandemic, now stands at the forefront of a political battle. Republican members of Congress are castigating government leaders for insufficiently reining in the practice of employees working from home. They are demanding more data about the impact of telework.

Yet such demands evince a failure to acknowledge the evidence, which overwhelmingly supports the benefits of telework. In short, ideological beliefs seem to be outweighing empirical facts.

Evidence gathered by the federal government shows that telework offers a myriad of advantages for both employees and employers. The White House Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) annual report sheds light on the tangible benefits of telecommuting.

For instance, it reveals that 68 percent of frequent remote workers express intentions to remain in their roles, compared to a mere 53 percent of those who do not telework. Moreover, engagement levels soar among frequent teleworkers, with a staggering 77 percent reporting high levels of engagement, compared to just 59 percent among their office-bound counterparts. The performance benefits are equally striking, with over 84 percent of employees and managers acknowledging improvements in work quality and customer satisfaction.

This data from OPM underscores the positive impact of telework on employee retention, engagement and performance.

Separately from this in-depth report, OPM released the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. Assessing a variety of issues, including telework, OPM found that over 62 percent report being “very satisfied,” and more than 26 percent indicate they are “satisfied” with their current work schedules. In........

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