Work From Home

I think allowing employees this option creates for more work productivity especially for our coworkers who experience child care challenges but remain dedicated to the work. For employees who care for elderly or sick individuals, this type of flexibility allows the employee to manage both work and personal issues without sacrificing either.

Allowing employees to work from home is a great idea because taking DCPP for example, the work that is done from the office is the same work that can be done at home with of course access to NJSPIRIT. It allows workers to have the complete their daily tasks at the comfort of their home. This is especially beneficial during inclement weather. Not only is the benefit for us but it would also benefit the agency in totality with the amount of money they would save.

This idea should be seriously considered in this day and age with teleconferencing, call forwarding, etc. If not on a regular basis certainly during state of emergencies, weekends, nights, holidays, etc. The amount of financial saving for both the state and the individual employee is indescribable. If not work from home surely you should consider remote SCR at every local office. Everyone lives within minutes from a local office and could complete their work at the office. Thanks for considering

Working from home would reduce the amount of airborne illnesses that spread across an office setting. Allowing people to work from home would allow for work to get done quicker in a timely manner. Working from home would reduce the stress on individuals having to come to the office everyday. As a result of the reduced stress, less people will be going out on 'mental health' or stress leave.

This should happen! But, we need the infrastructure in place. Remote working requires deliverable based accountability & digitization. Digital data / real time analysis are KEY to work culture change. We first need a rapidly deployable digitization strategy at least effective cost. Post #283 achieves that, check it out, which can make modernization of working culture feasible and actuate cost savings of remote working without sacrificing productivity & service delivery timeframes.

Most of my duties involve sitting in front of a computer several days a week. I think allowing employees the flexibility of working from home even a few days in a pay period would increase employee performance. At times I often think that I am travelling to work just to sit at a computer, something that could be done at home. A lot of jobs are now affording individuals the ability to make these choices.

We already have the processes in place to implement this, it is just a matter of approval. I think telecommuting solves a wide array of problems and will boost morale and make the state a competitive employer.

How easily this can be implemented is going to vary from state department to state department, however that should not stop something like this from moving forward. Currently all state departments do not offer employees the same programs (e.g. some have alternative work week programs, while others do not) and I expect that the telecommute option will be no different. That being said, for those departments and offices where it makes sense, it should occur.

Working from home will provide State employees some economic, physical and psychological relief that will improve their productivity and behavior.

There are currently 3 versions of this proposal on the Smarter.nj.gov site. Recommend bringing together the authors of the 3 proposals for collaboration purposes. We note that our proposal "App-Based Employee Management System" is designed to be an enterprise solution to address some of the technological and management issues attendant with employees working off-site.

This is an excellent idea as an essential employee especially during inclement weather. Working from home ensures the needs of the operation are still be meet while keeping employees and their families safe.

I think allowing employees the flexibility of working from home even a few days in a pay period will drastically increase productivity and employee moral. I do feel that it has to be available across the board. Currently we have an AWP program however only certain agencies participate. This is not fair to employees of non-participating agencies.

Managers looking to create a flexible work culture should avoid a one-size-fits-all approach; dictating exactly how these policies may be used can make them less effective. Talk with your team about your expectations, so there are no surprises later on. For example, if you set a policy that employees may arrive late or leave early when they need to, do you want them to give you advance notice? Of course, trust is going to be a big factor. you should trust them to get the work done.

Questions: Will we pay less for benefits like we used to since the State will saving so much money? Will we get raises and promotions easier since the State will be saving money. What will be done if we do work at home and electricity is lost? Will there be a backup site to work at. How would we confer with a Supervisor or Casework Supervisor if guidance is needed with a call.

The technical infrastructure is largely already in place, and the benefits are too numerous to list: - Millions saved in office space rental and upkeep - Less highway congestion resulting in fewer automobile deaths, faster passage for commercial vehicles, less wear on road surfaces, fewer emissions - Increased employee productivity demonstrated in multiple pilots and studies - Decreased usage of sick time, FMLA, short term disability and maternity/paternity leave - More but I'm out of space

This would be especially beneficial during inclement weather where many employees are not able to reach the workplace due to the hazardous conditions.

This is an excellent idea! Working from home especially as a screener makes sense. Many government workers already implement this "work-style" and have been able to effectively complete their tasks. The key points suggested in this proposal would help reduce commute time, less call outs and higher productivity; this sounds like a win-win situation and should be given more interest as we move forward.

This is an exceptional cost saving idea for a call center such as SCR as small noisy areas and wandering staff have proven to be a distraction for many staff who admittedly report it slows their productivity. Working from home would alleviate such issues and could potentially improve customer service as well.

I give this 👍👍. Working from home is a great idea especially when there is inclement weather. The State will save money, workers will save money as well, less commute time and more time with our own families.

I am highly convinced that my job can be done from my home and the environment is preferable.

The idea of working from home is economically smart. It would increase moral, productivity, most importantly alleviate stress.

This is a great idea that has been talked about for a very long time. The idea of working from home would allow parents, caretakers, students, and individuals to have the same access and same liberty's SPRU workers have (as they have lap tops and Ipads when working a case outside the office). It would give employees the freedom to work hours that are suitable to their schedule without interfering in family, community, educational, or health matters. I would work from home or the LO closest to me

In addition to the cost savings and other benefits pointed out by the author, this also makes the government more resilient when dealing with disasters or dealing with weather related emergencies. During pandemics or nature disasters, a workforce who can work from anywhere keeps the government open and more importantly keep the employees safe.

This idea is excellent. It would positively impact employees, administration, and State budget. The cost savings alone is reason to look into this. I don't see why we shouldn't give this a try!

I agree working from home is an excellent ideal. It would reduce stress and anxiety; thus increase attendance for work. For example DCPP/SCR-24 hour operation given the high crime area (Trenton) of the work location; with little to no security for staff. It would save employee's the stress of car repairs that they are responsible for after their car has been broken into. Working from home would reduce the number of outs and increase of productivity.

We note that our proposal "App-Based Employee Management System" is designed to be an enterprise solution to address some of the technological and management issues attendant with employees working off-site.

I'd like to be included in this team if the idea makes it to the top 20. I strongly believe in telecommuting. However, I know of a specific abuse of it, which I don't want to elaborate on here, and I would want to ensure we implement guards against it.

I would fully support this idea, its an excellent way to boost employee productivity. Working from home even for 1 or 2 days in a week make a lot of difference as parents, students,caretaker and many other roles of employee life will be at ease.

Fortunately, I’m a participant in a Certified Public Management program and I’ve chosen this topic for my Capstone. I’ve done research on this topic and have created a policy on implementing this idea in the Field Audit Branch of Taxation. Please let me know if you would like to use it in support of your telecommuting proposal. I will gladly share the research and policy I’ve drafted.