• Teleworking allows employees to work part of the time at other than their "official duty station."
• Teleworking may be on a schedule of from several days per week to as little as one day a month, or on an as-needed basis for reasons such as special projects, illness, or unavailability of your regular office.
• You normally do telework in your home or at a special telework center.
• You are still on official duty when you are teleworking, and are expected to be in a situation where you have the resources necessary to do your job, and are able to concentrate on that job without interruptions from other family members. You normally cannot expect to care for any other family members when you are teleworking. However, teleworking will probably free up time that you would otherwise spend commuting that you can devote to your family.
• Teleworking may be a great option for people with disabilities.

In recent years our government has increasingly promoted telework to improving the ability to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce in a competitive job market, protecting environmental quality and energy conservation by reducing traffic congestion and vehicle emissions, improving employees' work lives by allowing a better balance of work and family responsibilities, accommodating for disability, and reducing work-related stress.

A 1990 telecommunications bill authorized Federal agencies to spend Federal funds for extra telephone lines, related equipment, and computer connection fees for Federal teleworkers. Section 359 of Public Law 106-346 requires each Executive branch agency to establish a policy under which eligible employees may participate in Telework to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance.

Under Minnesota Statute 1994 S. 15.95 sub 10, no state agency may propose or implement a capital investment plan for a state building unless it receives approval from the state for increasing telecommuting by employees who would normally work in the building. The only way the agency can get out of this is if it can prove that such a plan is not practicable.

• All or parts of many jobs are appropriate for teleworking.
  • Usually 100 percent of a position is not appropriate for teleworking. Teleworkers usually perform part of their job at their official duty station. You will need to continue to live in a location which enables you to come in to your official duty station on a regularly scheduled basis, and on an as-needed basis for meetings and other special activities.
  • As examples, telework is feasible for work that requires thinking and writing -- data analysis, reviewing grants or cases, writing decisions or reports; telephone-intensive tasks -- setting up a conference, obtaining information, following up on participants in a study; and for computer-oriented tasks -- programming, web page design, data entry, and word processing.
• Telework is not suitable for employees who need to be in the office to learn the organization, who require on-the-job training, who need close supervision, or who thrive on interaction with co-workers and would suffer from the isolation of working alone
• To be a successful teleworker, you should be an organized, disciplined, and conscientious self-starter who requires minimal supervision.
• Your teleworking should not adversely affect either your own performance or that of your coworkers. Thus, if your job involves frequent interaction with your coworkers or customers, you will be expected to be available at the same times as when you were at work for this interaction via email or the telephone.
• Although telework will give some employees more time for their family responsibilities, you may not use duty time for providing dependent care or any purpose other than official duties
• You must have a safe and adequate place to work off-site that is free from interruptions and that provides the necessary level of security and protection for Government property.

http://www.telework.gov/

Telework practices for People with Disabilities http://www.mite.org/

Telework as a Reasonable Accommodation http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/telework.html

The Telework Coalition http://www.telcoa.org/

Telecomuter Resources http://www.telecommuter.org/

Telework Management http://www.telework.gov/documents/tw_man03/tw_man.asp

Assistive Technology of Minnesota http://www.atmn.org/

Minnesota Star Program http://www.state.mn.us/ebranch/admin/assistivetechnology/AFP/telework.htm

How working will affect your Social Secuirty  http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10095.html

Disibility.Gov Employment links http://www.disability.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=9