DHS: 73 Percent Work Force on Site Daily, Telework Helping with Recruitment
A top human resources official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told a House committee that the agency’s performance has remained “steady” since the COVID-19 pandemic and that telework helps DHS with recruitment and retention.
Deputy Under Secretary for Management Randolph “Tex” Alles was among the four witnesses called to testify in front of a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee about the impact of telework on the workforce and mission delivery. Deputy Under Secretary Alles was joined by HR leaders from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
In-Person Workforce
Faced with questions from Republicans on the committee as to whether telework is hurting agencies from fulfilling their missions, Deputy Under Secretary Alles pushed back.
Deputy Under Secretary Alles noted in his opening statement that since 2021 DHS has seen a “steady increase of on-site work across DHS mission areas” and that as of July 2023, 73 percent of the DHS workforce reports to work in person each day. In addition, 86 percent of the DHS nationwide workforce and 61 percent within the National Capital Region (NCR), including telework eligible workers, are on-site at least 50 percent of the time, with the vast majority on-site substantially more than that.
Productivity Not Impacted
Deputy Under Secretary Alles said telework has not caused a drop in productivity, pointing out the Department’s organizational health and performance have remained “steady” since the onset of the pandemic and that this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is on track to increase its completion rate of employment authorization documents by 15 percent.
Deputy Under Secretary Alles offered other examples, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) handling greater volumes of imported goods, DHS support of evacuees arriving from Afghanistan, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) leading efforts to set up COVID-19 vaccination sites.
Deputy Under Secretary Alles noted that one of the reasons DHS has been successful is because the agency invested heavily in the tools needed for remote work.
He added that telework increases the Department’s resiliency in dealing with emergencies, pointing out that “snow days” are no longer necessary for many employees given the ability to work from home. He also added that telework can help the government lessen its real estate footprint and save taxpayer money.
“Lessons learned from elevated telework and remote work during the pandemic have accelerated our planning for future space reductions,” noted Deputy Under Secretary Alles.
Recruitment
Another key benefit noted by Deputy Under Secretary Alles was that telework helps with recruitment and retention. He noted that “our employees continue to express the benefit and value of workplace flexibilities” and that employees indicate that telework and remote work flexibilities are a key driver of “effectiveness and job satisfaction.”
Alles says that DHS routinely surveys its workforce to check for opinions on telework, and it found that offering such flexibilities “bolsters our recruitment efforts and, equally or even more importantly, enables us to retain people in critical positions in areas that are historically below funded allocations, such as human capital and contracting.”
Congress Still Skeptical
All this data failed to sway some members of Congress. Representative Chuck Edwards (R-NC) quizzed the witnesses on how agencies ensure remote employees are not getting distracted while working.
“To me, time present is not necessarily work,” answered Deputy Under Secretary Alles. “They can be at a desk in the office and not accomplishing their work, and they can be at home and not accomplishing their work, so I want to measure what they’re doing, and we do that.”
Deputy Under Secretary Alles also noted that DHS applies metrics to measure the performance of employees and holds underperforming employees accountable.
“I think a prime concern, and one that I agree with, is: are we getting the dollars we pay for out of that employee or not? As a taxpayer myself, I want to make sure we’re getting that,” said Deputy Under Secretary Alles.
HSAC Report
The testimony comes as the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) released a report discussing the next generation work environment for DHS. The report flagged telework as a major area for DHS to improve on, saying that the agency needs to make work environments more friendly to flexible work and that facilities need to be updated to accommodate such trends.
That report noted that there is a “dire need” to increase morale among DHS employees, as many employees face challenging circumstances day in and day out on the job.
It also found that DHS must continue implementing new technologies and enhance cybersecurity.
“Technology has the potential to improve the experience of all DHS employees, if it is properly harnessed, resourced, and integrated throughout the department employees,” the report noted.
In addition, HSAC called for DHS to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Since DHS personnel are often the face of the Federal Government in interactions with the American people and visitors alike, DHS provides validation that the reality matches the policy rhetoric – that the workforce reflects the diversity of the communities and people it serves,” stated the report.