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Washington D.C. – Expanded telework was the most common program federal employees cited when asked how their agency supported their well-being during the pandemic, according to the new Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results released today by the Office of Personnel Management. 

Sixty-five percent of the employees who took the 2020 FEVS survey said expanded telework supported their well-being over the last year, the highest among a long list of pandemic workplace programs such as expanded leave policies and expanded scheduling flexibilities. 

The strong support for telework reflects the results from NTEU’s own survey of frontline federal workers, which found 97 percent agreed that teleworking during the coronavirus crisis protected their health and safety. 

“The proof is piling up that maximum telework was -- and continues to be -- a life-saver, by allowing tens of thousands of federal employees to work from home, avoid crowded offices and manage their families’ needs during this pandemic,” said NTEU National President Tony Reardon.  

The FEVS results also showed a connection between telework and employee satisfaction on the job. Employees who teleworked three to five days per week had an overall employee engagement score of 76 percent, compared to 62.5 percent who could not telework at all. 

“NTEU has been a pioneer in building telework programs into contracts where we represent employees, and wherever possible, we intended to expand those telework options post-pandemic,” Reardon said.  

Also confirming NTEU’s findings on productivity during the pandemic, the FEVS results show 87 percent of employees agreed that their work unit produced high quality work, and 86 percent said their unit achieved its goals throughout 2020. 

NTEU represents employees in 34 federal agencies and offices.