If you commute in the Washington region – and chances are, you do! - then you’ve experienced first hand the burden that commuting places on businesses and employees alike.  Long commutes sap productivity, waste time and energy, and can even impact a company’s profitability.  Our region remains at the top for traffic congestion and time lost behind the wheel.

What’s the answer to gridlock?  Telework.
Telework programs have a history of proven success decreasing automobile travel, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, and expanding mobility while rendering a return on investment (ROI) to employers and employees.   Telework programs also help businesses achieve “Go Green” and adopt sustainable business practices.

What can telework do for you?
 - Reduce your turnover costs
 - Ensure continuity of operations in the event of disaster
 - Boost company morale
 - Better position your company for the competitive future

Montgomery County is hosting a FREE webinar series on telework that you must not miss!

Learn about the advantages of telework from the ground up from industry professionals using the latest research:
 - Making the business case for telework
 - Developing policies
 - Return on investment case studies
 - Technology and communications basics
 - Assessing costs and savings
   ….and much more.

You’ll be expertly guided through the telework process, from start-up through implementation and evaluation, and hear from leading employers about their successes with telework.

Space is limited, please mark your calendar for the following sessions and RSVP. (All sessions are 10:30 – Noon)

   I.  April 25 - To register, go to: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/136091239 CLOSED

Telework 101 Presentation - Download the April 25 presentation here as a PDF or Powerpoint Slideshow.  A recording of the presentation can be downloaded here and the Questions & Answers are here. 

II.  May 31 - To register, go to: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/330785047
III.  June 21 - To register, go to: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/487938127

Registered participants will be sent logon and password information prior to the sessions.

Join us for these information-packed webinars - jumpstart your company’s productivity and profitability!

Teleworking from your home or from a convenient Telework Center may be the right option for you and your employer.

Alternative work schedules such as flextime, compressed workweeks, and job sharing are other progressive options for reducing traffic congestion, lessening workplace stress, and increasing efficiency.

For more information, contact us at 240-773-BWTW (2989) or email us at mcdot.CommuterServices@montgomerycountymd.gov

Telework Programs

Employees work out of their homes or in a satellite office or
“telecenter” one or more days a week – using computer, phone, fax,
and/or teleconferencing.

Montgomery County Telework Tax Credit

Businesses in Montgomery County may take a credit against County taxes for computers purchased for their employees who telework.The County pays up to 50 percent of the cost of each personal computer purchased, up to an annual total credit of $2,000.  Employees must certify that computers are used for business purposes and that the employees using the computer work from home at least 78 days per year – or 1.5 days a week. 

For more information click here.

Benefits

May reduce office space and parking needs – improving business bottom line

• Helps businesses maintain continuity of operations during emergencies, such as weather-related events
• Helps employers recruit and retain the best employees
• Boosts job satisfaction, reduces stress, increases productivity, helps work/life balance
• Decreases traffic congestion, energy consumption, and air pollution
• Enhances employer reputation as “good corporate citizen”

Types of Jobs

For more information, visit the Telework resources pages at Commuter Connections. You may also call 202-962-3286 for the Telework Resource Center, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Ask for a free Teleworking Starter Kit.

Maryland Telework Partnership with Employers

The Maryland Telework Partnership with Employers (TPE) offers free professional telework consulting services. Interested employers in Montgomery County who wish to start or expand telework programs should contact CSS at 240-773-BWTW (2989).

Sites are selected on the basis of location, nature of business, and expressed level of commitment. Each selected TPE site will designate a telework coordinator and an internal telework team to work with the consulting on developing and implementing the program. Teleworkers are expected to telecommute at least two days a month during a one-year period. Sponsoring agency is the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Telework Resource Center

The Telework Resource Center (TRC) is a Commuter Connections program, coordinated through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), which offers free one-day seminars throughout the region.

TRC can show employers how to:

• Establish a telework policy
• Form an in-house advisory group
• Identify a telework program coordinator
• Select, manage, and evaluate telework employees
• Set up ground rules for work space, security issues, and regularly scheduled work hours
• Provide for telework equipment
• Understand tax implications and compensation issues

For more information about the locations of telework centers in the Washington, DC region, please visit the telework Web pages of Commuter Connections or GSA Telework Centers. Or call 240-773-BWTW (2989).

Alternative Work Schedules

Flextime, Compressed Work Schedules, and Job Sharing are progressive options to reducing traffic congestion at peak travel hours, lessening stress in the workplace, and fostering efficient use of time at the office. CSS can help you determine which job types are best suited to these schedules as well as recommend program policies and procedures.

CSS will work with employers to set up Flextime programs featuring adjusted arrival and departure times for employees. Compressed Work Schedules, such as 4-day/10-hour-a-day work weeks, eliminate commuting for at least one day a week for those who participate. Job Sharing also cuts down on commuting.

Other advantages:

• Flextime employees can work during their most productive hours
• Employees may use less leave time because they have greater flexibility in planning medical and other appointments.
• Companies gain increased coverage, especially when they communicate across time zones and have customers requiring extended hours
• Flextime can help reduce spot congestion at work site entrances.

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