Statewide Telework Day, August 3, urged by Virginia governor

     Photo Courtesy of E.T. (Flickr.com)

Telework day was issued by Virginia governor, Timothy Kaine, for August 3, 2009. The Commonwealth of Virginia, The Telework Exchange, and Telework!VA are all working together to convince citizens that telecommuting, for even one day, can have significant benefits – both financially and environmentally.

The state hopes that this initiative will prompt local employers to begin offering telework programs for their employees. They also hope to raise awareness of the benefits of telecommuting, for both workers and employers.

According to the Telework Exchange, some of the benefits of telework include a reduction of traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, real estate savings, and commuter cost savings. Telework Day is a product of Kaine’s earlier order to “green” the state of Virginia by urging citizens to reduce energy consumption.

"It is incumbent that businesses and government agencies support efforts to promote widespread adoption of telework," said Cindy Auten, General Manager of Telework Exchange. "It's now imperative that employees and managers alike take the next step and embrace the notion of telework. Telework Day provides that important opportunity."

Although Telework Day is a statewide program only available to Virginia, perhaps it is the beginning of something greater for the entire country. In 2000, Arkansas began to test the telecommuting waters, but we haven’t heard much more from the state government on the subject since. However, the active promotion of telecommuting by the Virginia government may lead to increased interest amongst our own local officials in the future.