Gov. Phil Scott’s administration on Monday extended teleworking options for state employees through May 31 while also announcing a gradual return to the office.
As of April 1, state workers may request a return to their worksites if they meet certain conditions, according to Secretary of Administration Susanne Young. Most state employees have been working from home for nearly a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We look forward to welcoming employees back to the worksite in the months ahead, while understanding that continued flexibility in schedules and locations is likely going to continue beyond the pandemic,” Gov. Phil Scott said in a written statement, thanking state workers for being “nimble and productive” during the pandemic.
The new guidance empowers state agency and department heads to approve employee requests to return to worksites based on public health capacity guidelines and whether a worker meets certain criteria.
Employees may be eligible to make such a request if at least 25% of their job duties require an office setting or if home internet connections or home office conditions impede remote work, the administration said.
The change is possible, the administration said, because as many as one-third of Vermonters are expected to be vaccinated for Covid-19 by mid-April.
The state has not yet indicated the extent to which remote work will be allowed post-pandemic. Young said in a statement the administration would be guided by an employee survey from December 2020 that showed more than 47 percent of state workers favor working from home for most of the week, while another 39 percent would like to do so for part of the week.
Steve Howard, executive director of the Vermont State Employees’ Association, said Monday he was glad to see the administration extend telework at least through the end of May. He said it was critical that state buildings be retrofitted to ensure employees are safe when they return to work.
“Not everybody is going to get a vaccine and you’re not going to know who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t,” Howard said.
In an email Monday evening, Young said the Department of Buildings and General Services was working to ensure safe environments for staff. She added that requests would not be approved if guidance from the Department of Health and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development could not be followed.
