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Mayor Adams to expand remote work option to thousands more employees
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 20, 2023
Modified Oct 20, 2023
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 20, 2023
Modified Oct 20, 2023
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Mayor Eric Adams will allow thousands of city employees to work remotely two days a week, extending a benefit that had previously been granted only to unionized workers, according to three people familiar with the plan.
The expansion marks a notable shift in the city’s stance toward remote work. Adams was initially reluctant to embrace the new hybrid workplace, which has become a reality in the private sector. But as part of contract negotiations with DC37, the city’s biggest municipal union, he agreed to a remote work pilot program and will now be expanding that program.
The new benefit may help the city to stem attrition, a problem that began during the pandemic. The city has been struggling to fill vacant positions, although Adams recently ordered a hiring freeze amid a looming budget deficit.
The latest policy was announced Friday via an email from Human Resources, according to one person. The two people who spoke to Gothamist asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak about the plan. Henry Garrido, the head of DC37, confirmed to Gothamist that he had heard that City Hall had decided to expand the benefit.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Agency heads will have the discretion to decide who can partake in the program, which will be available for managers and other non-unionized city employees — a group that makes up about 5% of the municipal workforce, or roughly 15,000 workers.
The program starts on Dec. 1 and will still not apply to those who need to work in person, such as police and teachers.
Some managers who work for the city had been unhappy about not being able to work remotely. Multiple city workers told Gothamist that they were seeing remote work policies unevenly applied between different agencies and departments, raising concerns about fairness and equity.
Those who have not been allowed to work remotely said their anger peaked during last month’s severe flooding event, when city employees were not notified until noon that their agencies could elect to have them work from home.
“Days like today we see how this inflexible stance to working from home is not only silly, but putting workers in danger needlessly,” one city worker told Gothamist at the time. “Surely, we should at least have a working emergency remote work plan by now.”
This post has been updated with additional information.
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new york city
Politics
eric adams
labor
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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