Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced Thursday that Virginia teleworkers saved approximately $113,000, avoided driving 140,000 miles and removed 75.89 tons of pollutants from the air through participation in Telework Day on Aug. 3, 2009. The “What We Saved; What We Learned” report, compiled by the public-private partnership Telework Exchange, also reveals an increase in productivity by participants and reports satisfaction with their teleworking experience.
“I commend the individuals and organizations that took the Telework Day pledge,” Kaine said. “The results are clear – telework plays an important role in meeting the Commonwealth’s green objectives, reducing strain and traffic on our roads, increasing savings for our employees, and will provide our businesses with increased employee productivity.”
2,286 federal and private sector employees as well as 1,765 state employees participated in Telework Day in Virginia, for a total of 4,051 participants statewide. Eighty-one percent of participating state employees said they had teleworked before, compared to 78 percent of respondents nationwide, showing that Virginia’s efforts to promote teleworking in state government have been successful.
The report illustrates the potential impact of teleworking on employees’ budgets and productivity, as well as the environment. If all eligible employees teleworked one day per week for a year, teleworkers in the Commonwealth would collectively avoid driving 602 million miles, remove 360,800 tons of pollutants from the air, and save $807 million in commuting costs. Over the course of a year this would equal a $1,822 annual raise for every teleworker in Virginia, and save 46 hours a year in commuting.
A survey of Virginia’s teleworkers also showed that 69 percent felt they accomplished more than a typical day at the office and 91 percent said that they would be more likely to telework again as a result of their experience. Seventy-eight percent of respondents reported no difficulties in performing their duties on Telework Day.
“We are committed to ensuring that telework has a firm stake in the ground in Virginia,” said Karen Jackson, Deputy Secretary of Technology. “The ‘What We Saved; What We Learned’ report provides us with a snapshot of the critical impact telework will continue to have on business continuity, the environment, strengthening work and family balance, and much more, as state agencies and organizations continue to adopt and expand their telework programs.”
“Just one telework day really does make a difference,” said Jennifer Thomas Alcott, Program Manager at Telework!VA. “Telework is a key component to reducing traffic, removing carbon emissions from the environment, and providing substantial cost-savings on both an individual and organizational level.”
“On behalf of Telework Exchange, we applaud the Commonwealth of Virginia for its telework leadership and foresight,” said Cindy Auten, General Manager of Telework Exchange. “From environmental concerns and economic pressures to making jobs available in rural areas and increasing productivity, telework is a critical tool for Virginia, its employees, and its organizations. We encourage other states to take the next step to telework success and host their own Telework Day.”
To download the full results of the “What We Saved; What We Learned” report, please visit www.teleworkexchange.com/teleworkdayreport.
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