Only about 500 government telecommuters work out of centers like Marciniak's. The rest of the 10,000 telecommuters work out of their homes. As of late September, GSA was operating nine telecommuting centers in the Washington area, and expected another nine to be open by the end of the year. Calif. The Administration hopes to have 60,000 telecommuters by 1998. Many supervisors still don't feel comfortable having their employees work out of sight.
Managers are the ones with all the responsibility and a minimum amount of power.
When you mess with their ability to control their people, there is going to be a natural amount of resistance. The Justice Department, for instance, began implementing its flexiplace policy piecemeal. Initially, employees with back problems, pregnant women ordered on bed rest or workers with other medical problems were allowed to work out of their homes. For those who wanted in-home care, this gave them a chance to oversee that process before returning to work. We had fathers who used flexiplace to help in the home without having to take parental leave.