Stay at home Monday - it's Telework Day in Virginia

The state wants businesses to let at least some of their employees stay home from work today - but not to goof off.

Today is Telework Day - a new initiative to encourage businesses to expand telecommuting options, which usually involve working from home.

"We definitely want people to know that Virginia is serious about being a leader in the telework arena," said Karen Jackson, the state's deputy secretary of technology, who cited benefits ranging from environmental to psychological.

The atmosphere, she said, benefits from reduced emissions. Workers save on gas costs and avoid traffic jams. "Everybody knows if you sit in traffic for hours before you get to work, you're probably not in the best frame of mind when you arrive," she said.

And studies show working outside the office can increase productivity, Jackson said.

"From an employee standpoint, some people feel they might get passed over if they're not in the office the whole time," she said. "But if an organization embraces telework, it shouldn't make a difference."

The number of U.S. workers who work outside the office at least once a month grew 39 percent from 12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008, or 11 percent of the work force, the WorldatWork institute reported this year.

About 23 percent of workers employed by the commonwealth who are eligible to work outside the office do so at least one day a week, Jackson said. They account for 6.5 percent of the total state work force. Telework isn't an option for many employees, such as police officers and road workers, she said.

Jackson said she had no figures on telecommuting in the private sector in Virginia. Local employers report a wide range of practices.

At Witt Mares PLC, an accounting firm with headquarters in Newport News and an office in Norfolk, a majority of employees occasionally work outside the office, said Mary Aldrich, chief operating officer.

" We have universal accessibility," she said. "As long as somebody has a home computer, they can get directly into our network."

She cautioned, though, that working at home exclusively could reduce teamwork: "You get a multiplier effect by people working together; it can really stimulate ideas and improve the quality of the work."

Less than 10 percent of the 5,400 workers at Dominion Enterprises, a marketing services company based in Norfolk, engage in telework, spokeswoman Jennifer

Butsch Petit said. Dominion is owned by Landmark Media Enterprises LLC, which owns The Virginian-Pilot.

It's an even smaller fraction at Northrop Grumman Newport News. "The nature of our business, which includes working with sensitive government information, as well as heavy manufacturing, does not lend itself to teleworking for many positions," spokeswoman Lauren Green said in an e-mail.

Telework Exchange, an Alexandria-based public-private partnership that has promoted Telework Day, lists 28 participating employers on its Web site. Jackson said more than 2,000 individuals, not including state employees, also said they would take part.

Thomas Nelson Community College is among the few local employers on the list. Four of the college's employees with approved telecommuting agreements will work from home or a remote site, said Cyndie Callaway, vice president for institutional advancement.

Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia has not signed up. But agency officials Tuesday will take advantage of a side benefit - a free telecommuting consultation from Mack Global Consulting of Richmond.

"We're really in the first phase of a feasibility study to see how many functions can be performed remotely with the use of technology," CEO John Skirven said. Those could include data collection and ordering of services. That, he said, could save money, which could be redirected to client care.

Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com