Editorial: Marin call for county employees to return to office is a question of fairness

There’s no question that the pandemic dramatically changed the way many businesses operate.

The necessary move to working remotely proved the potential of that change.

But gradually, more and more businesses are requiring employees to return to their workplaces, either full time or several days a week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state workers to return to their offices four days a week. In an agreement with state unions, implementation of that order starts in July.

The county has been a little slower at bringing back workers to the Civic Center and its other offices.

That’s changing.

The county is starting to require employees return to work in person a minimum of three days a week.

That is a reasonable request.

Currently, about 1,000 of the county’s workers – a little less than half – are working on a hybrid schedule, splitting their time from working remotely and coming into their jobsite.

Not all workers can work remotely. For many, their responsibilities require them to be at their jobsite.

Some who have been working remotely are bristling over the county’s push for change. They have gotten used to working for home; especially not having to spend time and money on commuting. Working from home, for many, is a lifestyle decision.

The county is trying to strike a balance between that convenience and comfort that working remotely can provide and improved productivity resulting from in-person collaboration.

For the county, a business with more than 2,300 workers, is it fair that some can work from home and others have to bear the loss of money and time to make the commute?

The conversion to remote working was part of a pandemic – a global public health emergency. Public health orders that we practice “social distancing” back then forced businesses to turn to remote working. It wasn’t a choice; it was a pivot necessary to keep those businesses running.

We learned that it could be done. In fact, it led to an expanded use of technological and communication tools that enabled it to transform the definition of workplace.

That doesn’t mean it is the optimum approach in terms of productivity; not just to the worker whose “workplace” was their home and computer, but for collaboration among workers and responsive service to the public.

Workers also are more accountable for the hours they devote to doing their jobs when they are in the office.

The county is trying to find a new model, one that allows remote working, but also requires workers – managers and staff – to show up at their real workplace. As an employer with workplace standards and requirements, the county needs to strike a fair balance that applies across its workforce.

Is it fair that the change is being implemented piecemeal, varying by department?

Is it fair that some workers have to make 60- or 90-minute commutes, while stay-at-home workers only have to walk into another room and log onto the county’s computers?

Those objecting to the change say being forced back into the commute and its expenses amount to “an involuntary pay cut.”

So was allowing workers to work remotely – prompted by a public health crisis – a pay raise?

Can you have it both ways?

Certainly, some workers have gotten used to doing their jobs remotely. The county library, for example, has one employee working from New Mexico. Another is now working from Guatemala.

Even for those who live in Marin, having to return to their commutes means a lifestyle change for those who prefer working from their homes.

They have a decision to make.

The time has come for the county to adopt a standard. It seems reasonable to expect workers to spend most of their work week in the office.