Government Watchdog Report Finds Telework Can Increase Productivity and Improve Quality of Life for Workers and Their Families
WASHINGTON – Today, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Committee on Oversight and Accountability Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), announced the release of a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the benefits and potential of telework for worker productivity and firm performance.
“During the pandemic, millions of Americans, including Bay Area residents who ordinarily face onerous commutes, experienced firsthand how the flexibility and efficiency of telework could improve the quality of life for them and their families, and now we have compelling evidence that this labor model can also increase worker productivity and companies’ overall performance,” said Congressman DeSaulnier. “As we emerge from the pandemic, we should harness and build on this knowledge to expand telework options to benefit both the economy and working Americans, particularly lower-income and minority workers who have not had equal opportunity for this kind of work.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated public and private sector adoption of telework, providing a natural experiment into its effectiveness, and this GAO report found that telework works. In a perilous national public health emergency, telework ensured continuity in all federal agency operations and enabled federal workers to provide essential services to the American people. It also found that, in addition to mitigating some of the harms caused by the pandemic, telework in many cases actually increased worker productivity,” said Ranking Member Raskin.
“I am pleased that the GAO is releasing its first in a series of reports on the impact of telework on our workforce and economy. While additional findings from the GAO are forthcoming, this initial report shows that telework generally had a positive effect on worker productivity in certain settings. However, the report also illustrates that, despite the vast public health risks for workers, access to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic was not equal across our economy. The GAO report shows how, instead, telework was concentrated among certain workers and industry sectors,” said Ranking Member Scott. “As GAO continues its important work in this area, I will continue to fight alongside Congressman DeSaulnier to expand opportunities for workers and protect their safety and well-being.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, teleworking allowed the United States to remain productive and ensured tens of millions of workers could be both safe and healthy while staying employed. The report, which is expected to be the first in a broader series, found that telework rose sharply between 2019 and 2021, and that it has a positive impact on worker productivity and firm performance in certain sectors. The report also found that telework mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic on firm performance and the economy, and that more studies should be conducted to better quantify the long-term impacts of telework. Future reports in this series are expected to examine the impact of telework outside of the workplace.
Read the full GAO report here.
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