Travis County launches telework pilot for some county employees
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TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Travis County Commissioners Court received an update Tuesday on a new remote work test pilot that began for certain county employees.
In May 2020, county commissioners approved the eventual creation of a plan that would "result in 75% of eligible positions to telework on a permanent basis," per county documents. In 2021, the county hired Deloitte Consulting, LLP to run an initial test pilot, with a project kick-off in June 2021 and work on Phase 2 of the pilot beginning in February of this year.
Deloitte and Travis County launched a six-week test pilot Monday, working with groups within the county's transportation and natural resources, human resources and information technology services departments on the initiative.
The goal of the test pilot is to measure how successfully the county can create an adaptive work environment while continuing to deliver key services to its customers. Three key focus areas for the pilot include:
- Inclusivity and teambuilding success across work environments
- Quantitative and qualitative performance measures of employees' work across work environments
- Flexibility in work to evaluate possible variations in scheduling and employee hours while still delivering key services
The six-week pilot runs through late August. It'll include check-ins and office hours across virtual and in-person platforms, as well as surveys on commuting impacts and the success or drawbacks of the pilot.
During the pilot, a hotel suite testing site will be available for both hybrid and on-site teams, where employees can book rooms as needed at Travis County's downtown office instead of hosting a traditional office setting for participating employees.
At the end of the pilot, Deloitte and the county will assess successful components of the program, as well as areas that might need adjustments. From there, they'll develop a "playbook" of transferrable telework skills that can be used in training modules for other departments.
Commissioner Jeff Travillion said it's critical those toolboxes are developed and passed along, so there's consistent messaging among employees.
From an equity standpoint, Travillion highlighted the reality that some employees -- such as those who work on road crews or maintenance teams -- will not have the opportunity to work remotely. In many circumstances, Travillion said these employees are often on lower pay scales or work in non-executive positions.
With that in mind, he suggested the creation of an incentives structure and alternative compensation add-ons for those who do work physically demanding, in-person jobs. Officials said that data analysis will be done by Deloitte as part of its assessments.
From an environmental standpoint, Commissioner Brigid Shea asked if the Deloitte survey will be tracking impacts the telework pilot will have on the county's greenhouse gas emissions. Cynthia McDonald, county executive for transportation and natural resources, said while that isn't an official part of Deloitte's scope, it's something the county can assess internally.
Shea stressed the importance of tracking those greenhouse gas emissions reductions, adding this isn't a "lipstick thing" on the pilot but a tangible way for the county to reduce its carbon footprint.