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Are you interested in telework but have questions about how a work from home program could be successfully implemented at your company? Choose Your Way Bellevue works with telework expert Rick Albiero, CEO of the Telecomuting Advantage Group (TAG). Submit your telework questions to our expert here, or read on for previous Q&A’s requested publicly on the Telework Bellevue Ask an Expert page. And be sure to check back for more telework questions and answers from our expert. The Q&A’s are featured here on the Choose Your Way Bellevue blog on a monthly basis.

Question 3: We hear about productivity gains from teleworkers.  Where do they come from and has anyone actually measured them?

Rick’s Reply: Productivity gains come from multiple sources.  Teleworkers experience fewer disruptions while they are working allowing them longer periods of concentration.  Teleworkers often have more flexible work hours, allowing them to accomplish job-tasks during their peak work hours.  The ongoing discussion of “morning vs. night” people does have a basis in the fact that some employees may be the most productive in the morning and others late in the afternoon or early evening.  Allowing employees the option of working during these hours, rather than being in the middle of the commute, is likely going to increase the amount of work they accomplish.  Add in more effective time management, reduced absenteeism and the feeling of empowerment they experience and employees experience an almost effortless level of increased productivity.

Many organizations have implemented telework metrics and collect productivity data and/or conduct employee surveys.  Some examples include American Express and Alpine Access who both report an increase of over 25% among teleworking sales and support agents.  Sun Microsystems found that teleworkers contribute 60% of the time that they used to spend commuting getting work done.  Best Buy’s average productivity is up 35% due to their flexible work program.

King County Metro Transit has announced several fare changes that will take effect on January 1, 2011.
The changes apply to both single bus trip fares and transit pass products. These fare increases are one of many approaches that Metro is using to help ease the effects of a budget shortfall. 

Here are the highlights you should know about:

• 25¢ increase in adult fares (Fares for passes and ticketbooks will also increase)
• 25¢ increase in Access fares (Monthly passes will also increase to $45)
• Monthly/Annual Reduced Fare Pass will officially be replaced with PugetPass
• Weekend Day Pass and Sunday/Holiday Family Fare eliminated
• Youth fares and will remain unchanged
• Cash fares will remain at 75¢ for seniors and those who qualify for reduced fare (Monthly passes will be going up);
• Metro-only annual and monthly reduced fare passes will no longer be sold in 2011 (Existing passes will continue to be valid until they expire)

To find out more about how to purchase an ORCA card, visit orcacard.com, or call 1 (888) 988-6722.

For more information about upcoming the Metro fare adjustments, visit metro.kingcounty.gov.

With the recent news stories about ORCA card privacy, Choose Your Way Bellvue staff has been receiving a lot of questions about how the ORCA card collects trip information and whether an employer can track an employee’s movements.  To help you better understand the ORCA card privacy issues, here is a list of the most frequently asked questions that we have received:

Is my ORCA information secure?
No personal information (name, birth date, credit card number, etc.) is stored directly on the ORCA cards.  There is no way for someone who steals or finds your ORCA card to obtain this information.  Any personal information is stored in a secure, confidential database that is separate from data about the card’s use.  This information is only linked in the case of a customer service inquiry, such as a lost/stolen card or refund request, or to load value onto a registered ORCA card.

Can my employer see where I am going if I get an ORCA card from them?
As you have read in the newspaper, your employer does have access to reports that show trip data for the ORCA cards associated with their business account.  However, this report only shows summary level transaction data (trip date, transit agency, route and time of transaction) and is not associated with any personal information (name, birth date, etc.) or even an ORCA card serial number.  An employer can request to receive the card serial number for a particular trip if they suspect misuse. This request must be done in writing and include a valid reason for the request.  If the request is granted then the employer will be given the serial number of the ORCA card.  It is up to each employer to determine if they are going to link ORCA card serial numbers with the name of the person using that card. 

Why does the ORCA card collect trip information?
The ORCA program collects data that is necessary for calculating the correct fare and distributing that fare revenue accurately between the 7 participating agencies.  They also use aggregate data from revenue collection and distribution to track regional travel patterns to assist with future transit service design.  Individual card data is uses by the ORCA agencies only to assist with customer service inquiries, such as loss/theft or refund requests.

Is there anything I can do if I don’t want any personal data collected by ORCA?
You have a number of options for maintaining anonymity when using the ORCA system.

- Talk to your employer:  If you receive an ORCA card from your employer, you can contact them directly about your concerns.  Employers set their own policies about ORCA card privacy and the information they can access.

- Use a personal card:  Your employer has no access to any data collected on an ORCA card you obtain personally.

- Use an unregistered personal card: Every ORCA card user has the option to not register their card and this allows a customer to use the card anonymously.  The drawback to having an unregistered card is that there is no way to transfer your funds to a new card if yours is lost or stolen.

- Pay cash: You can continue to use cash for all transit rides on all seven transit agencies.  However, interagency transfers are no longer accepted unless a customer is using an ORCA card.

Still have questions?  Post a comment and TransManage staff will be happy to help!

-Caryn

In recognition of International Walk to School Month we thought we would provide Choose Your Way Bellevue reader’s with a list of online resources to help you jump on the bandwagon of walking to school! Check out the links below, then talk with your children, friends, co-workers or schoolmates about starting up a walking (or biking) program at your own school!

• Official Website of International Walk to School Month
• Walking School Bus
• School Programs with Feet First: A local organization with the mission of building walkable communities
• Washington State Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School Program

-Jordan

King County Metro and Sound Transit’s bus service changes begin Saturday, Sept 19.
Are you ready?

Three times per year (September, February and June) King County Metro and Sound Transit make revisions to their bus service. The changes are made in order to adapt to our region’s population growth and economic conditions, the school year calendar, new road networks, and to keep bus trips as fast and convenient as possible.

Do you know if your bus route is part of the September 19 service change? Make sure to pick up your route’s new light purple timetable for more details, or visit the following websites to learn more about the specific changes:

• King County Metro Service Changes and Revisions
• Sound Transit Service Changes and Revisions

If you ride Community Transit or Pierce Transit also check their new schedules or refer to their websites.

-Jordan