Three top House Democrats are lauding a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of teleworking as “compelling evidence” of the productivity benefits of the practice that became more widespread during the coronavirus pandemic, even though the analysis is much more cautious on the issue.
The GAO researchers concluded that “telework generally had a positive impact on worker productivity and firm performance in certain sectors, but methodological issues complicate efforts to estimate its long-term impacts.”
“For example, a study of a Chinese call center found that telework increased productivity by 13 percent,” the study said. “Some studies also found that telework mitigated the negative impact of the pandemic on firm performance and the economy.”
But the researchers also cautioned that “estimating the long-term impacts of telework is difficult, however, because some economic effects may emerge only over time. For example, studies GAO reviewed identified potential cost savings from reduced office space needs and potential collaboration challenges that could impact worker productivity or firm performance in the longer run.”
That qualified conclusion didn’t prevent Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, from claiming that the report “found that telework works.” Mr. Raskin was one of the members of Congress who requested the GAO study.
“In a perilous national public health emergency, telework ensured continuity in all federal agency operations and enabled federal workers to provide essential services to the American people,” Mr. Raskin added in a joint statement with two Democratic colleagues. “[The study] also found that, in addition to mitigating some of the harms caused by the pandemic, telework in many cases actually increased worker productivity.”
House Education and the Workforce Committee ranking member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) acknowledged that the GAO report wasn’t an unqualified endorsement of teleworking, and he further noted that access to remote work “was not equal across our economy.”
“While additional findings from the GAO are forthcoming, this initial report shows that telework generally had a positive effect on worker productivity in certain settings,” Mr. Scott said. “However, the report also illustrates that, despite the vast public health risks for workers, access to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic was not equal across our economy.
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