Brunswick County wants more staff working remotely. Here's what it means for residents.
Brunswick County officials are exploring ways that could help save space and money as the county’s staff expands to keep up with the demands of the growing population.
In March, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners approved a telecommuting program that allows remote working by some county staff. The program defines telecommuting as working from home or some other location away from an employees assigned work location by using electronic devices.
Here’s what to know about this program and how it could affect the county.
Remote working could save money
According to a report from Melanie Turrise, director of human resources for the county, a primary reason why the county is exploring remote working is to save money.
Allowing hybrid telecommuting could allow budgetary savings in many ways, one being the reduction of facility costs. If employees are able to work from home, it could lower the cost of office space, other facility space and potentially building maintenance.
“Some departments are beginning to exceed their office space and have already implemented office sharing, and telecommuting would help alleviate that,” staff said.
Turrise added that telecommuting may also provide an opportunity for improved efficiency and performance among employees. Additionally, human resources staff found allowing telecommuting could “improve recruitment and retention efforts” as prospective and current employees have inquired about the opportunity for such flexibility.
Allowance of remote working is currently temporary
The program approved by the commissioners is a temporary pilot program, allowing remote working for some employees from April to October this year.
The program outlines that telework will not be an option for all positions or employees. Instead, each position must be considered and approved for telecommuting individually and work out an arrangement for their specific responsibilities.
If approved for telework, the program indicates a telecommuting agreement would need to be signed by the employee and their work and productivity would be “closely monitored for its effectiveness.”
Move shows long-term impacts of pandemic
According to Turrise, the county currently has a Health Pandemic Telecommuting and Pay Policy approved nearly three years ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this policy, telework has been authorized for some positions to help alleviate the spread of COVID-19.
This practice allowed county staff to see that this solution could be beneficial and effective in the long term, even as the threat of COVID-19 lessens.
Turrise said telework policies have been adopted at several other local government agencies across the nation, and this temporary pilot program will allow staff to evaluate the benefits of such a plan before moving forward permanently.
Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 3 things to know as Brunswick County explores staff working remotely
