New Connecticut Law Gives Statewide Telecommuting Initiative A Boost

According to recent statistics only about 1% of Connecticut employees from the federal government and private sector telecommute. These dismal numbers have prompted a statewide initiative to increase the telework force. In fact, the state has employed the help of a consultant group called Telecommute Connecticut to help state agencies implement and maintain telecommuting programs. However, the efforts of Telecommute Connecticut have been thwarted by bureaucratic red tape.

A 1996 law made telecommuting possible for most state workers, but stipulated that all requests for telecommuting be approved by the Department of Administrative Services. Individual agencies had to defer to this outside agency to make business decisions that affected the way their departments functioned on a daily basis. Often times it would take the DAS too long to grant approval, leaving agencies in a real pickle.

This is why advocates of telecommuting are applauding the passage of new legislation that is handing control back to individual agencies. Under the new law (which passed last week), individual agencies can approve requests to telecommute. The new law also offers more flexible telecommuting options. Field Workers now have the option to telecommute for a portion of the day. Rather than driving to the office to check in, employees will be able to report directly to their assignments. The new bill is expected to increase the number of telecommuters by as much as 9 percent and help significantly reduce the state’s traffic and fuel costs. For more information on this new law and how it will effect Connecticut’s telecommuting efforts, click here.