C Culham Posted January 26, 2020 Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 I have not worked for an agency for 12 years. My thoughts.... On 1/14/2020 at 11:23 AM, Captain22 said: Do you think the 1102 series will continue to move toward significant (possibly 100%) telework? While the use of IT has change the workplace landscape it seems that telework is a trend thing even today with regard to my remaining contacts. So yes get close to 100% but my bet it will shift back. Most disappointing in the discussion for me is the concentration of most of the responses on internal office effect. Not much about telework and its effect on contractor relationships. I personally believe that my experience as an 1102 was greatly enhanced when there was the ability to actually go to the work site and interface onsite with the program needing work, seeing what the work onsite really entailed, onsite visits with the actual contractor and his or her work force completing the work and onsite review and discussion with the COR. On 1/14/2020 at 11:23 AM, Captain22 said: Can Government employees be more productive/efficient while teleworking or is that just an excuse we throw out to keep the benefit? Yes but as noted there are limitations with regard to interface with the "acquisition team" inclusive of the contractor. I say this noting I did something akin to telework, virtual position, where I was on the west coast and the position was a DC position. While costs were saved in facility costs to house me I wonder if the savings accounted for the travel as I was "on the road" 6 months a year. On 1/14/2020 at 11:23 AM, Captain22 said: Do you allow and/or encourage contractors to work off-site as a means to save space and as a recruitment tool to obtain the best support? Had seen it done and worked for the routine needs (IT services where they can access your desktop from anywhere). On 1/14/2020 at 11:23 AM, Captain22 said: Industry partners: Do you notice a difference in your ability to work with federal counterparts between those who telework and those who don't? Not an industry partner. On 1/14/2020 at 11:23 AM, Captain22 said: What are some of the more telework-friendly agencies you've seen for 1102 personnel? It was mentioned that union's were a limitation, I saw it in reverse. Those with strong unions seem to have more impact on their agencies friendliness towards all kinds of alternatives regarding the workplace. Based on working with 5 agencies and specific close contact with at least another 5 or more. I was a workplace mediator available to several agencies through a Federal Executive Board program in large metropolitan area. Old school yes, open to change yes, with my lament that the progression of 1102 series is less than a user friendly to all. I can not imagine being in charge of building my house, having my houses entire electrical and IT wiring redone, having the nanny take care of my kids, letting the landscaper do their thing, or ask for whomever to build my Cessna from the ground up without having any face time with the individual(s) doing it, ever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joel hoffman Posted January 26, 2020 Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 There may be offices, functions or types of contracting where a KO and/or Specialists can work by themselves at home. But not all contracting can effectively be accomplished from a remote location. In particular, for organizations contracting for multiple A/E and construction and design-build construction contracts/programs, a KO or specialist must be actively involved in internal teaming with different career field employees and internally and externally partnering with stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of a project. This occurs from the initiation of a program or project, during acquisition planning, through preparation of solicitations, negotiations/source selections/task order competitions, award, contract execution, partnering with the teams, external stakeholders and contractors during contract execution. Dealing with performance issues, REA’s , claims, other contract admin issues, etc., etc. Too much collaboration and interaction is necessary to be exclusively or primarily working and communicating remotely via monitors, screens, computers and cell phones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle93 Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 I do just as much work at home as I do in the office (which is alot and that's why my management allows me to do it). I often find myself doing more at home because I'm not distracted. But I'm very self-motivated and self disciplined. I'm probably in the minority. I have coworkers who slack at home, but they are also the ones who slack in the office. Where I'm at, our management does not like offering telework, but it is the main thing they have going for them to try to retain people. My coworkers are continually leaving to go private sector and make 30% more, albeit with less telework flexibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formerfed Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 5 hours ago, Eagle93 said: Where I'm at, our management does not like offering telework, but it is the main thing they have going for them to try to retain people. My coworkers are continually leaving to go private sector and make 30% more, albeit with less telework flexibility. What part of the country are you in and what grades are the people leaving for 30% more money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle93 Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 I'm west of the Rockies. People from GS-7 through GS-12 leave to go private sector for more money, but also for work-life balance in the form of a standard 40 hour workweek, and a better work environment, and in doing so give up the telework that our shop offers. I'm just about at that point myself. The telework has been the only thing keeping me federal, but the crazy overtime, the work environment, and workload are starting to wear on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formerfed Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 A lot depends upon the type of work and specific private sector employer. 1102 type work falls into two categories - doing contract type work for the company and doing consulting work for the government. I agree telework isn’t that common in the former case. With consulting, especially when the work is on site and directly for the government, telework pretty much matches the government practices. However other type consulting that’s not onsite support differs widely on telework. Lots of pros and cons for both private and public. My suggestion is anyone wanting to progress and succeed at the top needs experience in both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAC Posted March 23, 2020 Report Share Posted March 23, 2020 I work for years teleworking / remotely and supporting DOD programs for large aerospace firm. Then I got a new supervisor who was "old school". He said I need to see you in the office everyday because I'm old school. Everyday I scratch my head because everything I did at the work site was everything I was doing remotely. Some supervisors just don't have the confidence or experience to supervise a telework/remote workforce. That's just poor leadership....PERIOD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonfucius Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 My agency has been 100% teleworking since on/about St Patrick's Day. In that time, we've stood up a pilot for Slack, and been invited to use the Commercial Virtual Remote Environment (CVR), which is DoD's implementation of Microsoft Teams. My agency doesn't do MDAP/MAIS programs, mostly services, supplies, construction, assistance awards, and OTAs. We've been so successful at our telework implementation that our SES is talking about reducing office footprint, and letting employees move out of the NCR and remain employed with the agency. My productivity has remained about the same. In terms of system access, we have a reliable VPN connection, Citrix, VMware Horizon, MobiKeys, you name it. Our financials are all online behind CAC-enabled websites, and we are required to use only secured Wi-Fi connections, so the level of security is roughly the same remotely versus in the office. The only major degradation I've noticed since being a full-time teleworker the last two months has been with our contract writing system (PD2), which is somewhat slower, but it hasn't impacted our agency's mission. My agency has even started moving to all-electronic source selections, which involve encrypted E-mail and CAC-required websites for access to procurement-sensitive information. I'm about to have my first virtual source selection, so I will try to remember to update this form with my experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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