Hawaii House Bill HR157

Hawaii 2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/10/23
• Refer: 3/15/23

Caption

Requesting The Various State Departments To Reexamine Their Work From Home Policies To Allow Greater Flexibility To Work From Home.

Impact

The resolution identifies several potential benefits of remote work, including enhanced efficiency, improved employee morale, and better work-life balance among state employees. It suggests that promoting remote work not only aids in employee retention but also has other societal benefits, such as reducing traffic congestion and environmental harm due to decreased commuting. By allowing more employees to work from home where feasible, the resolution advocates for a more sustainable approach to workforce management that could relieve operational burdens on state facilities and infrastructure.

Summary

H.R. NO. 157 is a resolution introduced in the Thirty-second Legislature of Hawaii that requests various state departments to reassess their work from home policies to provide greater flexibility for state employees. The resolution is informed by a significant shift toward remote working prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein surveys indicated that nearly sixty percent of the state's working population engaged in remote work at some point. The document underscores the necessity for state departments to adapt to this new working paradigm to remain competitive with the private sector, which has begun adopting flexible work arrangements to attract talent.

Contention

While H.R. NO. 157 highlights many positive aspects of remote work, it also raises considerations for implementing effective oversight and productivity management in a remote working environment. The resolution proposes that quality and quantity benchmarks be established to ensure that productivity remains satisfactory and that management oversight is maintained. However, it recognizes that certain jobs within state departments may inherently require a physical presence, thus implying a need for a balanced approach to remote work policies that accommodate both remote and in-office work where applicable. The resolution is built on previous legislative efforts that have emphasized the effectiveness of remote working as a cost-saving and productivity-enhancing measure.