September 23, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Mary Anne Reynolds: 202/857-5930
Chuck Wilsker: 202/266-0046 x101
Metro and Telework Can Mean
Business As Usual During IMF/World Bank Protests, Says Board of Trade
The Greater Washington Board of Trade is
urging workers in the city who cannot take Metro to work on Friday, Sept.
27, to telework instead -- and the Board has established a hotline
(202/266-0045) to help. Other leading regional business groups
including the DC Technology Council, the Tech Council of Maryland, and the
Northern Virginia Tech Council (NVTC) have given their support to this plan.
Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey has urged workers not to drive into
the District on Sept. 27, when major protests against the International
Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings are expected. Ramsey said
demonstrators have threatened to stop business as usual and prevent
government, corporations and business downtown from operating.
"Heeding Chief Ramsey's advice doesn't mean business must suffer,"
said Board of Trade president Robert A. Peck. "It actually presents a
good opportunity for businesses to encourage their employees who don't live
or work near a Metro station to try teleworking for a day. Business
continuity is one of the many reasons employers are turning to telework, in
addition to the positive impact on reducing traffic congestion and air
pollution."
Several Board of Trade staff members already telework one or two days a
week, using personal computers at home linked to the Board of Trade's
network. Not all businesses, however, have installed technology links
to let employees work at home.
For them, from Sept. 20 to Oct. 19, a Santa
Barbara, CA application service provider, GoToMyPC, will make available
technology on a free trial basis that lets workers access their office
computer from home. Companies who wish to let employees work
from home but do not have the necessary resources currently in place
can find the information they need on the homepage of The
Telework Coalition's website.
Chuck Wilsker, Executive Director of The Telework Coalition and chairman of
the Board of Trade's Telework Task Force, said, "Just downloading the
software and trying it for a day isn't a substitute for a carefully thought
out and implemented telework program. But it will provide an
opportunity to try teleworking and avoid driving into the District on the
27th. A number of resources are available for employers who want to
learn more about telework. "
The Telework Coalition's website offers guidelines for employers on starting
a telework program and lists work activities that are appropriate for
teleworking.
The Board of Trade this year has pushed for measures such as traffic signal
synchronization, Metrochek benefits and telework, which in addition to
building needed new roads and transit, can help reduce traffic congestion.
Board president Robert A. Peck praised Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) for his
efforts to promote telework in the Washington region. Wolf has introduced
legislation providing tax credits for employers whose workers telecommute
and provided $3.4 million for technologies for public and private
sector telework programs.
A new telework laboratory in Herndon, VA sponsored by the nonprofit Telework
Consortium ( www.teleworkconsortium.org),
will be launched Sept. 24, part of a demonstration initiative sponsored by
Rep. Wolf.
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