House Oversight Committee Aim to Boost Young Federal Workforce with Telework Benefits

On December 1, 2021, the House Oversight and Reform Committee Subcommittee on Government Operations convened with the goal of exploring ways to attract and retain young employees, particularly those teleworking for government jobs.

As chairman of the committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) argued in favor of telework expansion on the basis that remote work corresponds to an increase in employee productivity. Telework also provides more opportunities to young people to join the public service and to people with disabilities.

Further, Rep. Connolly referenced a survey of 56,000 military personnel by the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released in March 2021 found that 91.1 percent of employees said they increased or maintained their productivity while working from home during the pandemic.

The witnesses included National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) President Kenneth Thomas, Michelle Amante, vice president of the Federal Workforce Programs at the Partnership for Public Service (PPS), Federal Workplace Expert Mika Cross Federal Workplace Expert, Meredith Lozar, executive director of programs and events at Hiring our Heroes – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and Andrew Biggs senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

Thomas voiced broad support for expanded access to federal telecommuting and claimed most NARFE members support the idea.

“Federal agencies may also be able to take advantage of the changing nature of work by expanding telework operations over the long term,” Thomas stated, “Such an approach could save taxpayers through increased productivity and provide a more attractive work environment for many current and prospective employees.”

Amante noted that increased telework options could contribute to diversity among federal employees.

“Many of the top employers in the private industry who are remaining remote or committing to a hybrid model moving forward are simply using a process by presuming that if employees were working that way during the pandemic successfully, then they can continue to do so,” Amante stated.

According to an 2017 Office of Personnel Management (OPM) survey, approximately 30 percent of federal workers are over 55, which suggests a large portion of the public workforce will retire within the next decade. 

In a submitted statement to the subcommittee, Randy Erwin, National President of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), urged the development of a diverse, well-equipped, and dynamic federal civil service that would be prepared to meet the needs of the future.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has learned the value of online platforms and telework,” stated Erwin, “While telework is not always possible depending on the position, utilizing remote work more efficiently can open doors to hire well-qualified candidates that were previously unreachable geographically or because of physical limitations.”

Find out how federal workforce organizations see the future of work at the FEDforum.