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City employees urge Emeryville to keep three‑day telework option, warn of retention risk
Summary
Multiple Emeryville public‑works staffers told the council that a proposed reduction in telework days would damage retention, productivity and project delivery; speakers urged giving department heads discretion and cited grant wins and recruitment concerns.
Several Emeryville City employees addressed the council during public comment, urging the city to retain a three‑day telework schedule and warning that reducing remote work days could harm staff recruitment, retention and productivity.
Philip Tost, an associate civil engineer, said telework was part of his decision to join the city and noted comparable neighboring agencies retain flexible schedules. He said a change would risk losing institutional knowledge and eroding service delivery. “A flexible telework policy is a key retention and recruitment tool,” Tost said during his two‑minute public comment.
Senior civil engineer Ryan O’Connell told council that the city’s hybrid schedule enabled staff to secure nearly $40 million in grant funding for public‑works priorities and saved taxpayer dollars by reducing travel for consultant and regional meetings. He said shifting to a more restrictive in‑office policy would jeopardize morale, increase turnover risk and weaken the city’s ability to recruit engineering and planning staff, particularly given long commutes for many employees.
City staff and speakers asked the council to allow department heads discretion to set schedules that reflect program needs, rather than a one‑size‑fits‑all mandate. Amber Evans, who has worked for the city for nearly 15 years, said vacancy rates and workload strains make inflexible in‑office requirements especially damaging and urged leaders to balance recruitment concerns with operational needs.
Council did not take immediate action on telework during the meeting; the comments were recorded for council and staff consideration as the city updates internal telework policy and the website. Several council members later acknowledged staff concerns and said they would discuss policy options with the city manager and department heads.
