The Future of Remote Work for Local Governments
The number of people working from home (WFH) in the past few years has skyrocketed. This was necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic — WFH situations in the United States jumped from 5.7%-17.9% between 2019 and 2021. Some states even have over 20% of their populations working remotely. What do these high numbers mean for local governments?
Those currently working in the public sector likely had an extended period where they operated remotely. Whether that’s still your situation or you’re seeking a job there, you probably want to know if this work format will stick around, become hybrid or go away entirely. Does remote work have a future in local government?
Was Remote Work Possible for Local Governments During Lockdowns?
According to American City and Country research, 59% of federal employees worked from home for the first 15 months of the pandemic. Despite that high number, there was no disruption in productivity and many staff members greatly enjoyed the new setting. Recent research from the National Association of State CIOs also found that WFH might become a permanent feature — most CIOs stated they expected remote work to continue.
As the evidence shows, removing WFH opportunities would displease many current local government workers. Meeting an employee’s needs is one of the most critical ways organizations can retain their best workers — fail to do so and they’ll move on to another job. In the U.S., over 4 million employees quit their jobs by November 2022, and an additional 40% planned to leave in the following three to six months. It costs companies and governments a lot to train new hires rather than keep their current staff happy.
How Working From Home Might Adapt for Public Sector Staff
Perhaps you’re part of the 46% of people who didn’t work from home before the pandemic and now vastly prefer it to the office but wonder what other adaptations will come. If you’re considering joining the public sector, you probably want to know how this situation currently works for local governments and how it could change. Here are a few ways technology could further develop the WFH setting for current and future government employees.
Increasing Automation
Are you sick of dealing with paperwork? Automation might be what makes your WFH situation that much easier. Many worry robots will take their jobs, but that’s often not the case. Instead, several industries find using automation alongside human employees helps streamline workflow and improve efficiency. Hawaii tried removing paper-based processes before the pandemic and found it very effective. More recently, New Jersey used robotic process automation to write responses for the complaint management system.
WFH started the journey toward going paperless and will only further the cause. How inconvenient is it to do things manually and then go into the office to file them? It defeats the purpose of working remotely. A more-digitized workspace demands automation to complete some manual processes, which New Jersey’s chief information officer for the judiciary said reduced eight to 10 hours of repetitive tasks.
The number of people working from home (WFH) in the past few years has skyrocketed.
Bettering Security Measures
Keeping documents and communications secure is paramount for government work. They’re very prominent targets for cyberattacks because hackers can easily ransom the data or create a major disruption. Local governments are significant because they store a lot of personally identifiable information and have less of a budget to employ IT personnel. This can lead to very costly and lengthy recovery times.
As remote work expands, expect to see more money going into updating government devices and security measures. Outdated machinery and software are massive holes in cybersecurity, which cities like Baltimore learned in 2019. Additionally, local governments will likely perform more frequent vulnerability tests and train workers to stay safe while operating digitally. Following these regulations is a must — you don’t want to be the one who accidentally clicks on a phishing email that takes down the entire system.
Flexible Work Options
Many workers love working from home, but you may not. Some people love commuting to work and being in an office. Your current or future employer may offer the idea of working in-house when you can and requesting certain days to WFH when needed. This greater flexibility will help decision-makers appeal to staff members of all opinions.
Improving Remote Work for Local Government Employees
WFH has not affected productivity in most cases, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. You probably had a few gripes about the process when first going remote. In the future, expect more security, flexible options and automation to improve the situation even more.
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