Bill Text: HI SR182 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging The Legislative Reference Bureau To Conduct A Study On The Best Practices For Telework And Alternative Work Schedules, Including Policies, Guidelines, Standards, And Procedures, To Be Adopted And Implemented By Government Executive Agencies, Businesses, And Nonprofit Organizations In Hawaii.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-25 - The committee on LCA deferred the measure. [SR182 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-SR182-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
182 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
Urging the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study on the best practices For telework and alternative work schedules, including policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures, to be adopted and implemented by government executive agencies, businesses, and Nonprofit organizations in Hawaii.
WHEREAS, telework generally refers to a work flexibility arrangement under which an employee performs the duties and responsibilities of the employee's position and other authorized activities from an approved worksite other than the location from which the employee would otherwise work, including the employee's residence and telework centers; and
WHEREAS, prior to 2020, telework was offered to the workforce in Hawaii on a minimal basis, however, the disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced many government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to rapidly transition its operations to provide for telework; and
WHEREAS, some government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations struggled to determine an effective way to transition its operations to telework or simply decided to close their operations until the COVID-19 pandemic showed positive developments; and
WHEREAS, although the COVID-19 pandemic is showing positive developments, a majority of Hawaii workers are still required to perform their jobs in some form of telework, and telework has become an integral way of life and business for many employees and employers; and
WHEREAS, the sudden and unanticipated transition of business operations to telework caused by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unforeseen consequences, including the profound and distorted impact on the ability of women, who often perform the majority of caregiving functions in a household, to maintain paid employment, as the disruption in the operations of child care facilities and schools disproportionately required women to function simultaneously as an employee and a caregiver, while many telework policies did not contemplate or allow caregiving while teleworking; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, between August and September 2020, approximately 865,000 women dropped out of the United States workforce, which is four times the number of men - 216,000 - who left the workforce during the same period; and
WHEREAS, federal agencies, under the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, P.L. 111-292, and states including Virginia, Maryland, and California, have invested in developing telework policies for their employees prior to the COVID-19 pandemic because telework increases productivity, enhances the quality of life of employees, and may reduce costs associated with staff turnover and office space; and
WHEREAS, providing guidance on the best practices for telework and alternative work schedules that can be implemented by government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii, will help improve the continuity of their operations during emergencies; retain a more resilient workforce and thereby reduce management costs related to employee turnover and absenteeism; reduce strain on public infrastructure and resources; and enhance the work-life balance of their employees by allowing them to better manage their work and family obligations; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) is urged to conduct a study on the best practices for telework and alternative work schedules, including policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures, to be adopted and implemented by government executive agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study include:
(1) Recommendation on best practices, including policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures for a successful implementation and operation of telework programs and alternative work schedules for government executive agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii;
(2) Identification of the categories of employees and positions that may be:
(A) Suitable for telework or an alternative work schedule; and
(B) Unsuitable for telework or an alternative work schedule and the basis for deeming them unsuitable;
(3) Identification of reasons for which a telework or an alternative work schedule may be made available to employees, including the feasibility of including caregiving of a household member as a reason to telework or use an alternative work schedule;
(4) Identification of suitable telework locations and recommended infrastructure and safety measures, including:
(A) Recommendation on how employers may provide their employees with electronic equipment, including computers and computing devices, and access to information that is required for the employees to perform work from the alternative work locations; and
(B) Recommendation on means by which employers and employees may secure the safety of the electronic equipment and confidentiality of information made available to employees at the alternative work locations;
(5) Identification of impacts teleworking may have on the use of state information technology assets;
(6) Recommendations on incentive programs, including promotions that would encourage the use of telework and alternative work schedules by government executive agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii, and as well as their employees; and
(7) Recommendations on annual percentage targets for the number of employees and positions made eligible for telework or an alternative work schedule for government executive agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the LRB is urged to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the LRB is urged to make the study and a summary thereof available for viewing by the public, including posting them on its website; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state and county executive agencies are urged to adopt and implement telework and alternative work schedule policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures that incorporate the best practices provided in the study; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the businesses and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii are encouraged to develop and implement telework and alternative work schedule policies, guidelines, standards, and procedures that incorporate the best practices provided in the study; 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; Chairperson of the Board of Education; 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; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Director of Public Safety; Director of Taxation; Director of Transportation; President of the University of Hawaii System; Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau; Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu; Mayor of the County of Hawaii; Mayor of the County of Maui; and Mayor of the County of Kauai.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Legislative Reference Bureau; Telework; Alternative Work Schedule; Best Practices; Policy, Guidelines, Standards, Procedures; Report
