Some Schoharie County supervisors were angry to learn Friday some employees are working from home—a policy Administrator Steve Wilson defended as an effort to lower the numbers in spaces where COVID social-distancing just doesn’t work.
It’s a strategy supervisors approved themselves back in the spring, Mr. Wilson said, even as Jefferson Supervisor Peggy Hait argued he should have done a better job of keeping them in the loop.
“I understand in the spring,” Ms. Hait said, “but I was under the impression that after they were brought back [to work] after the furlough, that wasn’t the case. You should have let us know.”
“How many supervisors know we have employees working at home?” Ms. Hait said, bringing up the topic.
“Why?” asked Fulton Supervisor Phil Skowfoe.
“I don’t know why,” Ms. Hait responded.
The reason, Mr. Wilson explained, is a variety of Executive Orders from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office encouraging tele-work where possible because of COVID.
Locally, he said, it’s been left up to the discretion of Department Heads to handle on a case-by-case basis, especially where it’s not possible to space out employees appropriately.
“A number of offices have been doing that through-out the timeframe, but at no point, even at the beginning, has there ever been more than 15 percent working from home,” Mr. Wilson said.
It’s a situation that’s likely to come back as COVID numbers increase and more and more employees everywhere are facing quarantine because of COVID exposure, Mr. Wilson pointed out.
However, he said he’s made it clear tele-work is not a benefit. “It’s a tool we’re using…during a crisis.”
At least one county department has used tele-working as a tool to avoid a COVID outbreak, Mr. Wilson said, while at least one other and parts of yet a third and fourth have resorted to it because of quarantines.
Cobleskill supervisor Leo McAllister asked if the option to work from home was being offered to employees on a rotating basis.
Yes, where possible, Mr. Wilson said, but it depends on whether the work can actually be done remotely.
Mr. Skowfoe responded that he didn’t think it should have been a decision made by Mr. Wilson—that it should have come before the Board of Supervisors.
It had, Mr. Wilson said, back in the spring; Esperance Supervisor Earl VanWormer said he remembered the discussion and in light of COVID numbers, “I think we should encourage it if it doesn’t interfere with someone’s job.”
It’s common and widespread everywhere else, said Conesville’s Bill Federice, supervisors’ chair.
Though her office wasn’t singled out, Heath Department Director Amy Gildemeister said none of her employees want to work from home; they’d rather be onsite.
“We use it as a tool [that’s] equitably distributed,” she said. Employees working from home “feel disconnected and every task it just a little bit harder.”
Gilboa Supervisor Alicia Terry also defended the tele-work practice.
“Talk to any state agency, anyone who can work from home is,” she said, and a brother-in-law who works for DEC has only been in the office once since March.
Ms. Hait asked if it was true that only one person was working in the Treasurer’s Office.
Yes, Mr. Wilson said, that had been the case, but he believes a second employee is back and that was a case of everyone else needing to be quarantined.
“The Board of Supervisors should have known,” said Sharon Supervisor Sandy Manko, one of three calling in for a variety of reasons—including quarantine.
Absolutely, Mr. Wilson said; he can start issuing regular updates again.
“But it’s going to be a fairly heavy burden on the Department of Health.”