The Stafford County Government is formulating a teleworking policy for its employees.

Although the practice of teleworking is not new for the county, this past year saw an increase in demand for remote-work options in the wake of social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

The county shuttered its government building twice in the past 12 months, limiting the public's access to the local government hall, moving most government business and public meetings online. Neighboring Prince William County, on the other hand, largely kept the doors of its government center open while since the start of the pandemic.

Now the Board of Supervisors is looking into making a telework policy permanent for some employees.

County staffers told the Board of Supervisors that many workplaces in the private sector and government are allowing people to work remotely. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that the benefits of teleworking included flexibility to employees, job satisfaction, and keeping the county competitive in the job market by increasing recruitment and aiding in retaining staff, staffers told the Board.  

Many departments would benefit from telework, including the Commissioner of the Revenue's office, which assesses private property values, the county's top-tier administration offices, including County Administrator Fred Pressley, and the county's Public Works staff.

Several Virginia counties, including Prince William, Hanover, Loudoun, Chesterfield, and Henrico counties, all have telework policies that determine the maximum number of days that would be allowed to telework. Many allow for unlimited days for teleworking, while Hanover only allows two days a week. Chesterfield only allows telework in cases of inclement weather.

Spotsylvania is the only neighboring county that does not have a policy in place for teleworking.

In addition to how many days employees could work from home, the county will also work on a checklist that teleworkers would have to follow at home to comply with the policy.

Hartwood District Supervisor Gary Snellings asked why such a checklist would even be necessary? For insurance purposes, the county staffers replied.

No funding would be necessary to implement such a policy since federal CARES Act funds had already been used to set up a telework infrastructure during the pandemic.

The Board plans to revisit the matter at the September 7 meeting, where they'll be presented with a set policy outline.