A case for broadening remote work in the public sector

The world of work is undergoing dynamic change, in at least three major ways:

First, according to Gallup, Gen Z and Millennial workers in 2021 comprised almost half the U.S. workforce. The “Silver Tsunami”—the retirement in large numbers of Boomer workers—is real, and Gen Z continues to fill the gaps left behind. Secondly, numerous articles have been written, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, about the way the world of work is shifting towards more flexible work arrangements. One recent survey found that Gen Z workers tend to prioritize flexible work arrangements second (after salary) in terms of priorities when searching for a new job. Finally, many organizations are struggling to manage a talent gap brought about by the “Great Resignation,” in which organizations have struggled to maintain their staffing requirements in the face of increased competition.

Local public agencies have not been spared from this shifting environment. Many local governments have scores of unfilled positions that public managers struggle to fill due to resignations or retirements. Local public agencies may struggle with flexibility in critical areas, including the ability to negotiate or increase pay and benefits for employees. In Kansas, for example, the cities of Concordia and Lawrence are working with the bare minimum workforce, often conducting business with 10-20 percent of positions unfilled. This struggle comes largely from the very nature of managing a limited budget on an annual budget cycle that perpetuates slower decision-making and more incremental change, at least when compared to competition in the private sector.

Federal agencies have felt the same impact, having the added pressure of political impact. Prior to the pandemic, only approximately 2 percent of the federal workforce (of more than 2 million), worked remotely. However, in 2021, 36 percent of the federal workforce shifted to remote work, with little impact on operations. In 2022, this has become the center of a political debate with some Republicans calling for federal workers to return to the office, while current federal administration proposes to continue remote-work practices, along with more competitive pay and benefits, in order to retain quality employees in a time where private sector jobs seem more appealing.

The annual budget cycle and challenges with offering competitive pay aren’t going away anytime soon in the public sector. So, what can local public agencies offer to candidates? The pandemic may have had a positive side effect in exposing that many public sector roles could be performed just as adequately at home as they could in person. This will never be true for 100 percent of all public sector (or private sector) jobs. However, we posit that the forced adoption of remote work technologies and flexible work policies during the pandemic provides a roadmap for public organizations to address the changes occurring within the current workforce—if organizational leaders are willing to adapt.

The talent gap in the public sector is real. Public service positions often go unfilled because there are not enough qualified and interested local candidates to fill roles. But what if a local public organization’s talent pool was expanded to include all talent nationally? Using the tools granted by the pandemic, many public service jobs can be fulfilled remotely. By adopting a remote work policy that allows for fully remote candidates, the talent available to fill critical roles expands vastly. In addition, organizations could adopt more flexible work policies, such as permitting employees to work four 10-hour days, to work during non-traditional business hours, or other flexible arrangements.

Millennial and Gen Z candidates, who typically stay in roles for comparatively shorter length of time than Gen X and Boomer employees, will find it more challenging to walk away from a role after just a year or two if it means giving up a more flexible work environment. Once you have worked fully remote, it is difficult to contemplate returning to an office environment, as we have seen in 2021 and 2022’s Great Resignation.

In many fields in the public sector, there is little reason why 100 percent of the staff need to work from the office. At most, an administrative worker to man a front desk and receive documents might be all that is needed. If a public sector manager could hire the best staff available nationwide, and create an “all-star” team, that could be beneficial to the organization. Teams can chat on platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Slack as needed to stay coordinated. Public sector teams did, after all, largely manage this way through the pandemic.

Adopting a fully remote policy for the majority of non-customer facing positions is not without its challenges. IT assets could be more challenging to manage, and there are certainly legal and financial implications to consider. What’s more, by decentralizing the workforce, the resulting more “business-like” approach to local governance may not be perceived as an improvement to the traditional structure of hiring employees who subsequently serve the communities they live in. Would residents in Richmond, Va., balk at the notion of having to collaborate with an employee remotely working from Lincoln, Neb.? A logical response could be: at least a qualified individual is employed and able to do the work, rather than the position being unfilled, or underfilled with someone less capable to meet the resident’s needs.

There is so much work to do, and so much public servants could accomplish for the residents they serve, but the public sector isn’t adapting quickly enough to bring in the best, or enough, talent. Organizational leaders should consider ways they can address the changing aspects of the workforce head-on, by promoting more flexible and remote work environments for their teams.

Andrea L. Zeilman, MPH, MHA, CPC serves in a grant management and policy role for St. Louis County Government’s Department of Public Health in St. Louis, Mo. She obtained her Master’s in Public Health in 2017, as well as her Master’s in Health Administration in 2019, both from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She is a profound advocate for health equity and inclusion, promoting policy change and program opportunities that improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable populations. 

John D. Tigert, MPA, CPPB serves in a procurement management role at the City of Virginia Beach, Va. Prior to that role, he served in public procurement management roles in Missouri and South Carolina. He obtained his Master of Public Administration degree in 2018 from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Government from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., in 2008. During his time in public procurement roles, he has been an advocate for procurement policy and process improvements, cooperative procurement, and regional collaboration.