Thousands of federal patent workers are allowed to work from home with little supervision and face almost no discipline even if they lie about the hours they put in

See the AP story by MATTHEW DALY Watchdog: Patent telework program invites abuse. Excerpt: 

 "Thousands of federal patent workers are allowed to work from home with little supervision and face almost no discipline even if they lie about the hours they put in, an internal watchdog told Congress Tuesday as lawmakers examine a telework program acclaimed as a model for the government.

Senior managers at the Patent and Trademark Office are blocked from ensuring that employees actually work the hours claimed, making it appear that time-card abuse is "tolerated" at the agency's highest levels, the Commerce Department's inspector general said.

While he has seen no evidence that time-card abuse is "systemic" at the patent office, "it would be extremely easy for large numbers of workers" to submit fraudulent time cards if they wanted to do so, Inspector General Todd Zinser told a joint hearing Tuesday of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees.

Lawmakers are examining problems at the Patent and Trademark Office, which allows about half of the agency's 8,000 patent examiners to work from home full-time. Another third work from home part-time. The arrangement reduces traffic and saves at least $34 million a year in rent and other costs for office space, while increasing worker productivity and retention, the agency said.

But some lawmakers said the telework program is ripe for abuse. A report last year found that some employees repeatedly lied about the hours they were putting in, and many were receiving bonuses for work they didn't do. When supervisors found evidence of fraud and asked to have the employee's computer records pulled, they were rebuffed by top agency officials, ensuring that few cheaters were disciplined, investigators found."