OCEAN CITY – Working from home for many employees has become part of the post-pandemic landscape, but resort officials have approved a revised policy clearly defining the requirements.
During COVID, many non-essential employees were not only allowed to, but required to, work from home. Private sector telework policies proved to be effective with little or no decline in productivity and many continue to do so even though the pandemic has waned. Ocean City Human Relations Director Katie Callan last Tuesday presented an updated employee handbook, which includes a revised work-at-home policy.
Callan said it is not a significant issue for the town, but the written policy borne out of the pandemic has been updated and revised. She said there is only one full-time town employee currently working remotely as a health accommodation. Four others have regular schedules that include telework to varying degrees throughout the week. A total of 17 employees from four different departments have signed agreements in the event of a special circumstance, but do not regularly work from home. In addition, two departments have signed agreements and employees work from home occasionally, but not regularly.
“The policy was drafted in 2020 because of COVID and updated again in 2021,” she said. “In 2022, it was updated further. We wanted to put some parameters around the policy.”
The town’s revised telework policy covers a lot of ground about expectations, reporting of hours, the use and condition of home work spaces and the use of company equipment for work purposes, for example. Councilman John Gehrig voiced concern the telework policy might not be defined enough.