Austin City Reassesses Work from Home Policy to Enhance Flexibility for Employees

Austin Plans to Revise Work from Home Policy for City Employees

AUSTIN — The city of Austin is gearing up to update its work from home policy, making it more flexible and empowering individual departments to set their own rules. A spokesperson for the city announced that they are currently reviewing the existing policy and discussing possible changes.

Proposed Changes Under Review

At a recent Audit and Finance Committee meeting, city human resources staff shared with Austin City Council members that new proposals could allow city employees to work from home up to 60% of the time, which translates to about three days a week. This change would give greater authority to individual departments to decide what arrangement works best for their teams.

“I think it’s a good, a better starting point than where we were,” stated Carol Guthrie, the business manager for AFSCME Local 1624, a union representing city employees. Many staff members seem to support this idea.

Back to the Office After the Pandemic

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Interim City Manager Jesús Garza had previously called city employees back to the office. For many management roles, this meant returning to the office full-time, while non-executive staff were required to work at least three days a week in person.

Garza expressed concerns about maintaining public trust, saying, “We cannot completely do so if we are not present or responsive to their needs. With this in mind, we must address the various department policies surrounding telework.”

Employee Feedback on Policy

However, some city employees had a different perspective. Marna McLain, an IT corporate manager for the city, shared her experience about teleworking five days a week, saying, “I saved 11 hours a week of not being in traffic.” She was not alone; an audit conducted by the Office of the City Auditor revealed that nearly 70% of employees disapprove of the current work from home policy. Close to half of all city employees participated in this survey.

The audit highlighted that making the policy less strict could serve as a low-cost retention incentive that may even save the city money.

Internal Surveys Reflect Employee Preferences

“We’ve done our own internal survey of our union members, and flexible work schedule is very important to individuals,” Guthrie noted. Surprisingly, some employees indicated that they would even accept a reduction in pay for more flexibility in their work schedules.

Comparative Success of Other Counties

The audit pointed to Travis County as a successful example. The county permits around 75% of its eligible workforce to work from home, resulting in a significant increase in job applications compared to before the pandemic.

Potential Financial Benefits for Austin

Additionally, there could be significant financial advantages for the city of Austin. The audit suggested that the city might see savings from reduced utility expenses and real estate costs. Furthermore, Austin’s Joint Inclusion Committee on Telework estimated that long-term changes could potentially save the city over $1 billion by reducing office space requirements.

Next Steps for City Leadership

In response to the findings, a spokesperson for Austin stated, “We appreciate the Auditor’s work and recommendations and are in the process of reviewing them to determine what changes — if any — should be implemented.”

This discussion reflects a shifting attitude towards work environments within city departments as they seek to adapt to modern work preferences and promote employee well-being. The review ahead holds the promise of a more adaptable future for Austin city employees.