Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official, through her perseverance and tenacity, helped create the Trademark Work at Home (TWAH) program at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Cohn first started building support throughout the USPTO in the ‘90s, when telecommuting wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today. Neither the public nor the private sector embraced telework because the technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today.
Cohn, however, saw potential where others saw roadblocks. Cohn pushed her superiors to test the concept with a prototypical program that would put people to work without the costly expenses associated with commuting both for the workers and the USPTO. She forged coalitions with managers, IT professionals, and the employee union.
Finally, in 1997, Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official successfully convinced agency executives to start the TWAH program. As the Managing Attorney within the USPTO, she was in charge of 25 Trademark Examining Attorneys, many of whom expressed interest in the program. The program quickly became the so-called “gold standard” for telecommuting in Federal Government. TWAH also quickly became an accepted telework prototype, which thoughtfully combines objective-based management with “hoteling”, or unassigned seating within an office, to create a hugely productive environment in a workspace, promoting fluid workflows and better collaboration.
This program resulted in documented space saving and related cost reductions for better work from all of USPTO’s employees. The program has saved the agency money, and today, 85% of all eligible Trademark Examining Attorneys work at home at least one day a week. Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official is credited for the rise of telework within the USPTO and received a Telework Driver Award in 2007.
Cohn, however, saw potential where others saw roadblocks. Cohn pushed her superiors to test the concept with a prototypical program that would put people to work without the costly expenses associated with commuting both for the workers and the USPTO. She forged coalitions with managers, IT professionals, and the employee union.
Finally, in 1997, Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official successfully convinced agency executives to start the TWAH program. As the Managing Attorney within the USPTO, she was in charge of 25 Trademark Examining Attorneys, many of whom expressed interest in the program. The program quickly became the so-called “gold standard” for telecommuting in Federal Government. TWAH also quickly became an accepted telework prototype, which thoughtfully combines objective-based management with “hoteling”, or unassigned seating within an office, to create a hugely productive environment in a workspace, promoting fluid workflows and better collaboration.
This program resulted in documented space saving and related cost reductions for better work from all of USPTO’s employees. The program has saved the agency money, and today, 85% of all eligible Trademark Examining Attorneys work at home at least one day a week. Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official is credited for the rise of telework within the USPTO and received a Telework Driver Award in 2007.