NEWS & INFORMATION 
| Launching January 2011, Telework Kitsap builds on the
momentum of the Telework Pilot Project and knowledge
gained in developing the Telework Toolkit. More...
| The Kitsap Telework Pilot Project was a winner of the 2009 PSRC Vision 2040 Award
for promoting a livable region by helping implement VISION 2040,
the region's growth management, economic, and transportation strategy. |
KITSAP TELEWORK PILOT PROJECT & TELEWORK TOOLKIT
In May 2008, the Washington State Legislature provided $150,000 in funding for the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council to conduct a Telework Pilot Project. The funding was administered through the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Program. The Telework Toolkit website is the core deliverable of this project. Employers and employees from Kitsap County were actively recruited to participate in the pilot project. Employers, IT executives, and HR executives with prior teleworking knowledge and experience were invited to serve on our Expert Panel. A total of 13 organizations participated in the Pilot Project, inluding: Microsoft, Kitsap Transit, Kitsap Regional Library, Kitsap Credit Union, Olympic College, City of Poulsbo, Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue, Municipal Research and Services Center, Kitsap Peninsula Visitor Convention Bureau, Kitsap Homebuilders Association, Wet Apple Media, McClure Consulting, Olympic Printer Resources. The Kitsap Telework Pilot Project ran from May 2008 through June 2009. On July 1, 2009, when the pilot project wrapped-up, the project team presented to the State Legislature a progress report of what we learned, as well as a Telework Toolkit that includes everything an employer needs to know to launch and operate a successful telework program, and everything an employee needs to know be a successful teleworker. In addition, the team will created a template for others who want to promote telework in their region, jurisdiction or agency. HISTORY
Report to Legislature Telework Toolkit Site The Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council began working on the telework concept in 2006. An assembled team of agency IT and HR managers explored teleworking and workplace technologies. The initial task was to study which technologies worked best in which conditions, the components of a telework policy, security, and other technology issues affecting public agencies. The team shared its findings in a series of brown bag lunches. Handouts, and other information from the June 14, 2007 brown bag lunch can be found on the Telework Toolkit website. Kitsap County has prepared a video in which employees who telework and their managers candidly talk about the benefits and challenges of teleworking. For a copy of the video, contact Laura Gronnvoll at 360-377-4900 or Laura@KitsapRegionalCouncil.org. The Techno Tools & Telework team's investigation into teleworking showed strong interest and promise. HR Directors saw telework as a benefit that could help retain high-knowledge employees in Kitsap County. The team also found that many organizations adopt teleworking incrementally, learning through trial and error what works and what doesn't, sometimes without clear policies in place. The team concluded that telework would be more feasible for employers if they were provided with some basic tools, such as facts to address their questions and concerns, and a telework policy template, so they didn't have to invent it from scratch. This was the genesis of the Telework Toolkit and Kitsap Telework Pilot Project. The Techno Tools & Telework team consisted of IT and HR staff from the following agencies: 
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