Fewer snow days, less time spent sitting in traffic and an environment where beginning businesses could grow were just some of the advantages of not commuting inside the Beltway, according to teleworkers who met with U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
Hoyer visited the Bowie State University Telecommuting Center, one of 14 such facilities in the Washington metro region, Monday to speak with the mostly federal employees who use the center he dedicated almost eight years ago.
“This is a very efficient and effective purchase of space for government,” Hoyer said. “It’s a great buy for government.”
Hoyer’s visit came on the same day that a national study named Washington the “Best City for Teleworking” in the country.
The study, conducting by research firm Sperling’s BestPlaces and Intel Corp., ranked 80 U.S. cities based on the potential benefits that teleworking would provide to employees. Factors considered included commuting times, fuel prices, availability of broadband Internet access and percentage of the population in telework friendly jobs.
The study found that an average D.C.-area worker would save $488 a year in transportation costs by teleworking just one day each year.
Monday at Bowie State, workers shared stories of how they were now able to work in the same town where they lived or get to doctors’ appointments without having to take entire sick days.
John Tully, with the Transportation Security Administration, said his commute from Baltimore City to Arlington used to take about 90 minutes one way. That included, Tully said, one MARC train ride, switches between several Metro lines and at least $50 more a month than he received in Metrochecks.
Now, Tully said, he gets to Bowie from Baltimore in about 20 minutes on a single train and for a fraction of the price. The fringe benefits aren’t bad, either.
“I’m getting about one hour more sleep a day,” Tully said.
– Aurelie Fontaine of The Examiner contributed to this report.
TELEWORK LOCATIONS
» The District
Executive Office Club on Connecticut Avenue
» Maryland
Bowie
Frederick
Hagerstown
Laurel Lakes
Prince Frederick
Waldorf
» Virginia
Fairfax
Fredricksburg
Herndon
Manassas
Stafford
Winchester
Woodbridge
» For more information about telework locations in the region, visit www.wmtc.org.
