The U.S. Office of Personnel Management released the first comprehensive view of telework practices across the entire federal government since the enactment of the Telework Enhancement Act in a new report to Congress issued July 6.

Prior to this report, agencies submitted telework data to OPM on a voluntary basis.

The “2012 Status of Telework in the Federal Government” report for Congress provides a baseline for measuring each agency’s progress toward meeting the requirements of the Telework Enhancement Act which was issued in December of 2010.

“This is a significant milestone,” said OPM Director John Berry. “Not only does this highlight tangible changes in telework practices across the federal government, it also serves as a baseline for measuring the effects of telework in the future.”

The report details a number of perspectives on how far agencies have come in implementing telework policies, including the proportion of agency employees participating in telework programs, by age and years of service, as well as information about expected savings on the part of agencies who are embracing telework policies. It also highlights some of the barriers agencies face and incorporates levels of satisfaction based on OPM’s 2011 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.