Minutes - Council Work Session - 06/15/2021 - Special

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Councilmember Specht commented that he has been working remotely since 2011 and as long as the employee is completing their work, he would be happy to let them continue to work remotely if desired. Councilmember Musgrove referenced the purpose of the policy and asked how the benefit to the City would be demonstrated. Administrative Services Director Lasher referenced a previous example she provided of an employee that could have returned to work remotely following an injury but had to wait another two weeks until they were able to drive. She noted that working remotely also allows employees to focus on their core duties without the “water cooler talk” at the office. She noted that while that is important to the workplace culture, it does take up some time of the employees. She stated that many employees have experienced increased productivity when working remotely. Councilmember Musgrove commented that she is not questioning that but the written policy and whether an employee would need to write something out based on their job description. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill commented that each employee would need to apply for a telecommuting agreement and list the benefits they feel would be provided. He stated that the application would be reviewed by the department head and then reviewed by additional leadership. Councilmember Specht asked why it would be so complicated. He noted that the request could simply go to the direct manager and if the work is done that would be the end of it. Councilmember Howell stated that she liked the idea of Councilmember Riley to bring this into the contract negotiations in order to show a dollar value benefit to residents. Mayor Kuzma commented that he is concerned with adding this into the contract negotiations. He stated that once added to the contract it would be impossible to get out and would prefer to simply leave it as a policy. He stated that if something did not work out with the policy, it could simply be amended or revoked. Administrative Services Director Lasher read the statement she received from legal counsel related to whether telecommuting is a term or condition of employment and as to whether it could be included in the negotiations. Councilmember Woestehoff stated that from a contract perspective, he would only see this as a benefit and would make more people want to work fot the City regardless of whether it is linked to a contract. He stated that he supports the policy. He stated that giving the responsibility of making the decision to the manager and City Administrator would seem to make the most sense as each position would be unique in its needs. He stated that in the policy the equipment is mentioned and believes that language should be removed as the employees should already have what they need and would not want to see that in the policy. City Council Special Work Session / June 15, 2021 Page 3 of 10