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Journal of Science Policy & Governance | Volume 18, Issue 04 | September 27, 2021

Policy Memo Competition Honorable Mention

Policy Memo: Expanding Access to and Ensuring Equity in the Benefits of Remote Work Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ashley E. Orr (1), Tamara Savage (2)
  1. Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
  2. Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Corresponding author: aorr@cmu.edu
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https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG180413
Keywords: Remote work; telework; work-from-home; worker equity; labor economics
Executive Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased the number of people working from home, with over 50% of employees working remotely during 2020. With the current popularity of remote work and the high prevalence of high-speed internet, video conferencing technology, remote collaboration tools, email, and other technologies, remote work will likely remain common after the pandemic ends and offices fully reopen. There are many benefits of remote work, including increased productivity, better work-life balance, reduced commute time and traffic congestion, decreased emissions, and cost savings for employees and employers. However, access to the privilege of remote work is unevenly distributed across occupations and socioeconomic groups. Among those who can work remotely, there may be disparities in performance appraisals and promotions compared to in-person workers. Congress has a unique opportunity to address these inequities via expansion of the Telework Enhancement Act, which currently covers federal government employees, to include firms in the private sector. This Act enables all employees whose jobs can be performed remotely to do so and mandates that remote workers and in-person workers be treated the same for the purposes of training, performance appraisal, and promotion.

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Ashley E. Orr is a Ph.D. Student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College. Ashley researches at the intersection of labor economics, urban economics, and public policy. A first-generation college graduate, Ashley earned a Master of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Oxford, England, where she studied funded by the Rhodes Scholarship. She also holds a BS in Mathematics and BA in Economics from Youngstown State University.
 
Tamara Savage is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Her work is at the intersection of emerging technologies and public policy, and her dissertation research is focused on improving technology forecasting by including policy, economic, and social factors in forecasts. Tamara has previously worked for the federal government and in industry. She holds a BS in Engineering and Literature from Harvey Mudd College.

​Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE1745016.
 
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