Stafford creating teleworking policy for government employees, takes cues from neighbors

Now the Board of Supervisors is looking into making a telework policy permanent for some employees.

County staffers told the Board of Supervisors that many workplaces in the private sector and government are allowing people to work remotely. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that the benefits of teleworking included flexibility to employees, job satisfaction, and keeping the county competitive in the job market by increasing recruitment and aiding in retaining staff, staffers told the Board.  

Many departments would benefit from telework, including the Commissioner of the Revenue's office, which assesses private property values, the county's top-tier administration offices, including County Administrator Fred Pressley, and the county's Public Works staff.

Several Virginia counties, including Prince William, Hanover, Loudoun, Chesterfield, and Henrico counties, all have telework policies that determine the maximum number of days that would be allowed to telework. Many allow for unlimited days for teleworking, while Hanover only allows two days a week. Chesterfield only allows telework in cases of inclement weather.

Spotsylvania is the only neighboring county that does not have a policy in place for teleworking.

In addition to how many days employees could work from home, the county will also work on a checklist that teleworkers would have to follow at home to comply with the policy.