HR report compares municipal remote and flex schedules; staff recommends department‑led approach

The city’s HR and risk manger, Sandra Amerson, presented a comparison of remote‑work and flexible‑schedule policies used by peer Florida municipalities and recommended the city pursue a department‑by‑department approach rather than a blanket policy.

Amerson told the council that staff surveyed nine nearby local governments and associations and found no uniform approach: larger counties and cities more often permit mixed remote arrangements for administrative positions while utilities, public works, police, fire and other field operations generally do not. Examples included the Town of Lady Lake and other municipalities that have used four‑day (4x10) schedules or alternating Fridays for administrative staff, while public‑safety and utility crews remained on fixed shifts.

The HR presentation identified common benefits — recruitment and retention, employee satisfaction and reduced office footprint — and common challenges — technology, data security, equity across departments, supervision and operational coverage. The report suggested that the city could allow flexible schedules for staff where job duties, technology and supervision permit, while preserving on‑site coverage for public‑facing and field roles.

Council members said they supported exploring controlled flex schedules but stressed measurable productivity metrics, clear coverage expectations for the public, and pilot timelines. HR said it would follow up with specific pilot proposals, role selection criteria and proposed metrics for measuring productivity and public accessibility.