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November 19, 2014

Watchdog questions telework at Patent office

  • The arrangement reduces traffic and saves $34 million a year on office costs but some lawmakers say it is ripe for abuse.
    • By MATTHEW DALY
    Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — Thousands of federal patent workers are allowed to work from home with little supervision and face almost no discipline even if they lie about the hours they put in, an internal watchdog told Congress Tuesday as lawmakers examine a telework program acclaimed as a model for the government.

    Senior managers at the Patent and Trademark Office are blocked from ensuring that employees actually work the hours claimed, making it appear that time-card abuse is “tolerated” at the agency's highest levels, the Commerce Department's inspector general said.


     
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