HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	157
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the various state departments to reexamine their work from home policies to allow greater flexibility to work from home.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, according to a survey conducted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, nearly sixty percent of the State's civilian working population eighteen years of age and older worked remotely at some point between the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and August 31, 2021; and

 

     WHEREAS, the survey indicated that approximately forty-two percent of private sector payroll employees were working remotely as of August 31, 2021; and

 

     WHEREAS, employees working remotely have cited benefits including increased efficiency, higher morale, increased retention rates, better work-life balance, and improved productivity and performance; and

 

     WHEREAS, working remotely also saves on gas expenses, which in turn results in lower pollution rates and a decrease in environmental impact; reduces wear and tear on vehicles and associated maintenance costs; and reduces commute-related stress and anxiety, which can lead to health-related issues such as increased blood sugar, high cholesterol, greater risk of depression, increased anxiety, lower happiness and life satisfaction, temporary blood pressure spikes, high blood pressure over time, lower cardiovascular fitness, worse sleep and increased back pain; and

 

     WHEREAS, state departments are competing with private sector employers, some of which are offering work from home programs and in order to compete with these employers, state departments also need to offer flexibility in working remotely; and

 

     WHEREAS, the ability for the State to remain competitive with the private sector is critical; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development's December 2022 vacancy report to the Legislature indicated that nearly four thousand of seventeen thousand civil service positions in the state executive branch were vacant as of November 2022, excluding departments outside of the Department of Human Resources Development's purview, including the University of Hawaii System and Department of Education; and

 

     WHEREAS, state departments spent much of 2022 hastily trying to fill vacant positions, but according to the report, "year after year, employees are changing positions or leaving state service faster than departments can fill vacancies, causing the vacancy rate to increase"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the report also indicated that the executive branch faces a workforce that is fifteen to thirty percent eligible to retire every year for the next five years; and

 

     WHEREAS, in Act 219, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019, the Legislature noted that "working from home or other off-worksite locations has demonstrated the cost-effectiveness and productivity of public services" ... and that "[r]emote teleworking can and should continue to remain an important option for state employees who can accomplish their duties outside of their traditional work environment"; and

 

     WHEREAS, Act 219 also noted that permitting state employees to work off-site "enables the State to make better use of its limited resources, including but not limited to office space, furnishing, equipment, electrical and data requirements, storage space, and other traditional needs of employees who work at state facilities"; and

 

     WHEREAS, a sizeable population of the workforce working remotely will help to relieve traffic congestion and consequently make traveling by vehicle safer; and

 

     WHEREAS, by establishing remote work policies, state departments may be able to foster a more desirable place to work, offer job retention incentives to the existing workforce, attract more workers to the State, save state workers transit time and costs, and save on facilities costs; and

 

     WHEREAS, although there are some jobs that cannot be done remotely, establishing policies that offer work from home for state workers where possible, not to the extent possible, should be explored; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the various state departments are requested to reexamine their work from home policies to allow greater flexibility to work from home; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that when reexamining these policies, the state departments are requested to consider what various quality and quantity benchmarks could be implemented to ensure reasonable management oversight and continued productivity; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Comptroller; Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; Attorney General; Director of Finance; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Adjutant General; Superintendent of Education; Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission; Director of Health; Director of Human Resources Development; Director of Human Services; Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; and Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

State Workers; State Department; Policies; Work from Home; Remote Work