Is remote work in local governments here to stay?

While a mainstay in tech companies for years now, remote work has never made an impact in local government quite like it has during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the working model for most office-based jobs shifted remote due to health and safety needs, the pandemic is also providing an opportunity for these governments to assess whether this type of work is a long-term, viable option for service delivery. Here, I’ll break down the difficulties local governments face when assessing long-term remote work viability, the risks, as well as the benefits to supporting a largely remote workforce – without sacrificing service delivery.

Remote work was already a growing trend pre-pandemic – $ 173% increase between 2005 and 2018$ . And that growth increased substantially during the pandemic, where $ 55% of employers$  and counting are now keeping most of the workforce remote. But historically, remote work has not been so well received by local governments. So what’s been the holdup when discussing the reality of future remote work?



Barrier to entry

The majority of local governments dismissed remote work pre-pandemic. And now that local governments across the world have been forced to trial this concept, it’s clear why. The transition to remote work is a massive undertaking, a fact clearly exemplified by the stories shared around lack of hardware to support off-site work to security hurdles to accesses on premises systems and data. The challenges across local governments were widespread in this quick (and for most, chaotic) transition. They also varied greatly depending on utilization of the cloud, existing digital or self-help services, progress with GIS and foothold in citizen engagement efforts.

By mid-March, the pandemic required the shutdown of most government facilities including administration centres. Fast forward over 9 months and the majority of buildings that have since reopened look vastly different, with minimal in-person staffing, and an increase in either digital or appointment-based customer service. Other than some outliers, most local governments (and public health authorities) continue to promote remote work as a health and safety measure for both staff and the public.

It has been a painful transition for a lot of local governments, but hopefully a barrier that has now been overcome to open eyes to the possibilities that even local governments have been able to shift toward being more nimble, digitally focused organizations.

First, let’s consider some core differences between us in local government and private sector companies:

Local governments are not Silicon Valley startups

Early in the pandemic, there were weekly news stories about how another large Silicon Valley company was diving deeper into remote work. From Facebook to Twitter to Dropbox, their employees were free to leave the expensive Bay Area and move to locations across the world with lower cost of living, while companies of all sizes began to either reduce their office space footprint, or shutter their offices altogether.

While it’s a nice thought, even the most innovative, techforward local governments don’t allow for the same option to pick up and leave. That’s because local governments:

• are mandated to serve a specific geographic community;
• are often owners of most, if not all of their administrative facilities rather than lessees;
• are required to service everyone regardless of background or demographics, compared to startups that generally serve their ideal customers or target market; and
• are generally more difficult to move fully remote with no office environment as in-person service is critical for certain public functions, and to serve those who are not comfortable using technology.

Despite the fundamental differences and challenges local governments face when considering the possibility of long term remote work as part of the structure of government, none are insurmountable. When we consider the benefit to the employee, cost saving opportunities, and perhaps most important, the benefits to service delivery, I speak for many in local government when I say that I hope this change is here to stay.

Considerations for your workforce

There are definite and widespread benefits to a significant portion of the workforce now being able to work from home. We are seeing $ a positive impact to the environment $ with reduced emissions.

A $ Stanford survey$  showed that productivity is also increased over office-based employees. It may also be beneficial for business continuity as staff is already equipped to work from home as needed.

That said, there are some people (not to mention services) that operate most effectively in person and in a more collaborative environment. This shift to remote work does not and should not be seen as an all or nothing approach. For business continuity, as we have learned, it is best to diversify your workforce and to have backups for critical systems and services. This likely lands in a combination of remote and on premise staff and functions.

Considerations for your bottom line

There is potential to drastically reduce real estate costs by moving staff to remote work. If administrative facilities are mostly owned (like City Hall), then planned expansions due to hiring growth can be deferred or eliminated, potentially saving millions. Whether facilities are owned or leased, reduced footprint requirements may allow for consolidation, sale, or repurposing for community benefit to things like affordable housing or commercial office space.

Perhaps the most important consideration for the public sector is the new ability to be able to recruit talent from anywhere, not to mention the introduction of eligible candidates to the workforce who cannot work from an office or accommodate a traditional workday schedule for various reasons. This can be much more cost effective and could result in more competitive recruiting strategies to attract talent and better compensate qualified individuals. Further, staff are $ more likely to remain with an employer long-term$  if they offer flexible work arrangements (including remote options), reducing hiring, training and onboarding costs.

Considerations for your community and service delivery

Local governments are now seeing benefits materialize around service delivery associated with local government staff working remote. With employees navigating childcare and the like, the traditional 9 to 5 has been thrown out the window. The result? Perhaps not surprising, but better service delivery.

In the $ Govlaunch Podcast$ , Chris McMasters, CIO for Corona, CA shares the benefits to more flexible work schedules. For the recruiting aspects mentioned above, but also for the ability to increase response times with staff working at all hours. As a resident, this means your permit could be issued much faster than before, when you would traditionally have to wait in a queue that would not be reviewed until the next business day.

The shift to remote work is allowing local governments to reimagine service delivery both in terms of response time as well as new or improved digital tools to help engage their communities. Tools like $ Bang the Table$  (rebranded as Get Involved) have allowed Innisfil to continue to communicate and engage the public on projects that matter to them.

Collect data before making decisions

While there are benefits to offering remote work, the needs across organizations may differ. If more formal remote work is something your council is considering, there are things leadership can do to take the temperature of the organization and see if there’s a desire to go remote before spending any public dollars on more permanent transition measures.

A recommended first step is to survey your staff and leadership – two separate surveys – to get both opinions on remote work post-pandemic, and information that will help make a potential transition easier. Topics for data collection should include remote challenges and opportunities, productivity, ideal work situation (remote or office-based), technology, and communication. In your analysis, focus on those staff that have the possibility of working remotely rather than those whose function doesn’t allow – as you move into implementation there are opportunities to engage those staff as well.

More in-depth interviews with key staff can complement the surveys - you may find that many departments have similar needs but some, such as Customer Service or IT, may have different requirements.

As with any successful project, doing extra due diligence at the beginning to collect data that supports your initiative, in this case the more formal move to remote work, will give the government’s leadership team the confidence to follow through.

It will be intriguing to see the long-term uptake on remote work in local governments once the concern of the pandemic subsides. It’s clear that there are benefits for both employer and employee, but it also requires a concerted effort internally to consider new ways of managing your workforce, the customer experience, and to collect the appropriate data to guide ongoing decision making.

Brennan Kenny is an experienced economic development professional, thought leader, and constant advocate for the expansion of remote work in local governments. Brennan is currently the Economic Development Champion for the Town of Innisfil, Ontario.