With the pandemic emergency ending, state should revisit work-from-home rules

There is nothing inherently wrong with work from home or hybrid work schedules, which many employers have kept in place for many workers. But for public-facing jobs, it’s reasonable for taxpayers to expect that a live, in-person state worker will be there when they need them.

T he state’s COVID-19 public health emergency ends on Thursday. Levels of coronavirus have dipped to the lowest level in a year, according to wastewater tracking done by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Last week, the World Health Organization declared the pandemic was no longer a global emergency.

Yet much of state government is operating according to pandemic-era guidelines that were last updated in August 2021 under the administration of former governor Charlie Baker, which allow many state employees to work from home. As the official crisis ends, the state ought to revisit those guidelines on an agency-by-agency, job category-by-job category basis. There is nothing inherently wrong with work from home or hybrid work schedules, which many employers, including the Globe, have kept in place for many workers.

But for public-facing jobs, it’s reasonable for taxpayers to expect that a live, in-person state worker will be there when they need them.

The “Telework Policy for Executive Department Agencies” authorizes a hybrid work model “where statutorily permissible and operationally feasible,” with sign-off from a supervisor. Beyond the executive offices that report directly to Governor Maura Healey, state employees who work for other constitutional officers are essentially following some version of that policy.

Asked Healey’s thinking on the subject of remote work, a spokesperson for the governor told the Globe editorial board, “As a new administration, we value having people working in-person as part of our efforts to build out a strong team environment and onboard new staff. The goal is to provide effective and efficient operations, service delivery, and program integrity in a workplace that can successfully recruit, develop, and retain talent.” Besides Healey’s sensitivity to that balancing act, the Healey spokesperson said the Baker administration’s plans to reduce leased office space “would not allow us to welcome all staff back to the office in all agencies at the same time.” Of course, Healey could certainly rethink her predecessor’s plans, if she believes it’s important for more workers to show up in person.

Secretary of State William F. Galvin is the only constitutional officer to tell the editorial board he is striving for a five day in-office work week for the 600 to 700 full-time workers who report to him. But he acknowledges it won’t be easy to make that happen, and some state workers have already quit or announced plans to retire when presented with that choice. However, Galvin believes that state leaders should be contemplating what it means to transition to a post-pandemic workforce: “As we go forward, what is a reasonable policy? I acknowledge we are competing against [private sector] employers who make flexibility part of their pitch and it’s hard to get good workers,” said Galvin. “But if you are a public-facing entity dealing with services that people need, you need people you can deal with. There needs to be a more comprehensive policy.”

Speaking “anecdotally,“Galvin said his office gets telephone calls and visits from constituents who are finding it difficult to connect with someone in the appropriate state agency. For their part, representatives of other elected constitutional officers told the editorial board they are currently following some type of hybrid work policy, while making sure that public-facing jobs are covered.

For example Andrew Napolitano, a spokesperson for state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, said: “We do currently have a policy for hybrid work in the Treasurer’s office. It includes an in-office requirement as well as remote work. We have full coverage in-person for our state offices in public buildings and in our departments who work with customers in person.”

Lauren Feltch Donoghue, deputy chief of staff to state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, said: “Our agency has been operating under a hybrid work model established under the previous administration. We are currently in the process of reviewing policies to determine best protocols moving forward.”

Molly McGlynn, a spokesperson for Attorney General Andrea Campbell, said that full-time employees are entitled to three teleworking days per week and employees who work four days are entitled to two teleworking days. The office plans to review the policy now that the public emergency is ending, she said.

Senate President Karen Spilka “believes that a hybrid model will continue to enhance the Senate’s ability to attract and retain a talented workforce,” a spokesperson said. Each Senate office is responsible for setting their own office policy and there is a remote option for all Senate sessions. Meanwhile, the House has returned to in-person sessions, and House rules call for “anchoring” hearings in-person to ensure anyone who wants to testify in-person can do so. A hybrid staffing policy for House employees permits employees to work from home at the discretion of their appointing member, a spokesperson for House Speaker Ron Mariano said.

Since the pandemic’s outbreak led to the closure of many workplaces, there’s been a tension between fairness — why should cops and construction workers have to risk their health by showing up for work, while secretaries and CEOs stay at home on Zoom? — and the reality that remote work is just not equally plausible for all jobs. But as the pandemic has faded, discretionary calls by management should become less controversial, especially in the public sector. If services are being delivered as they should be, the discretionary policy is working. If they’re not, it needs to change.