SAIC Survey: 82% of Federal Execs Expect Remote Work to Continue Post-Pandemic; Mark Forman Quoted

A Science Applications International Corp. survey has found that 84 percent of federal government executives said they are more or just as productive since their transition to virtual work environments and 82 percent said they expect telework to continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAIC said Tuesday it commissioned Market Connections to poll 300 federal government leaders and found that 41 percent of respondents expect to telecommute an average of three days per week post-pandemic.

Majority of respondents cited several pandemic-related challenges that need to be addressed, such as preventing the transmission of the virus in federal facilities as employees return to their workplaces, managing federal IT systems to maximize telework, protecting systems from cyber attacks and detecting fraud, waste and abuse.

“The pandemic has changed government operations, with digital transformation now viewed as essential,” said Mark Forman, vice president of digital government strategy at SAIC. “The work environment of the future will be built around secure online access to data, applications, and collaboration tools.”

The survey found that nearly 75 percent of respondents gave their agencies a rating of “A” or “B” for the ability to carry out essential operations, provide applications and data needed to perform the work and efforts to keep personnel and data safe during the health crisis.