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1 1 (May 8, 2025)

handle is hein.gao/tlwkpvat0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Why This Matters In early 2020, telework became an important part of the pandemic response to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the continuity of business operations. In July 2023, we reported that telework nearly tripled from an estimated 5.7 percent of workers in 2019 to 17.9 percent of workers in 2021, based on our analysis of American Community Survey data. Since the pandemic, several employers have issued return-to-office mandates, which have reduced or eliminated telework entirely. The ongoing use of telework since the pandemic ended has been an evolving area. We were asked to examine various issues related to telework and issued the first in a series of reports in July 2023 to respond to this request. In our July 2023 report, we reported on changes in telework before and during the pandemic as well as its impact on worker productivity and employer performance. This is our second report in the series. A third report, which we expect to issue later this year, will address the effect of telework on transportation, housing, and other sectors. This second report examines private sector employer and worker stakeholders' and experts' views on the benefits, challenges, and other aspects of telework and telework policies; the telework policies of selected countries; and the Department of Labor's (DOL) labor law guidance on telework. To obtain stakeholders' views, we interviewed officials from 11 organizations that represent private sector workers and employers in industries with the highest rates of telework. We also interviewed organizations that represent specific groups of workers and employers that may have significant or unique experiences with telework (e.g., older workers or small businesses). Stakeholder responses are not quantifiable or generalizable, so we present individual responses. To obtain experts' views, we interviewed seven expert researchers and a representative from a private sector research organization, whom we collectively refer to as experts. We selected three expert researchers based on the number of times their work was cited in our July 2023 report, and the other four researchers based on referrals from the initial three researchers. To obtain an industry perspective, we selected the one private sector research organization we identified with original telework job postings data that it uses for labor market research. Key Takeaways * The employer stakeholder organizations we interviewed said private sector employers consider several factors when deciding whether to adopt telework, such as job types, costs, and effects on recruitment and retention. They said employers also consider effects on their ability to track job performance and maintain collaboration. * The employer stakeholder organizations most often said the greatest benefit of telework is the ability to attract and retain staff. Worker stakeholder organizations also said telework benefits recruitment and retention. Page 1 GAO-25-107078 Telework

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