AUSTIN, Texas — Austin's city manager wants all City of Austin employees to return to working in the office three days a week, starting in October. But not everyone agrees that is the best course of action.
On Tuesday night, the City of Austin's Urban Transportation Commission approved a resolution asking the City to change its work-from-home policy. The Joint Sustainability Committee recently did the same.
Some City employees say the current plan – which requires them to be in the office one day a week – has been working fine, especially since many employees can't afford to live in Austin and commutes can be long.
"For half of my team that lives outside of Austin due to the rising cost of living, this one day a week allows us to stay engaged with each other while also allowing us to be productive," said Madeline Moisio, a business process specialist for the City. "This policy does not make sense for our economic, safety or sustainability goals as a city."
The Urban Transportation Commission's recommendation will now go to the city council, which would need to come up with a list of jobs suitable for telework and a list of work spaces owned by the City that could be repurposed.
City leaders would also have to look at the cost of expanding the IT network and training more employees for remote work.