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Cass County amends telecommuting policy to address upcoming Minnesota paid-leave law
Summary
The board amended the employee handbook's telecommuting section (5.16) to allow consideration of other states' statutes when approving remote work and to monitor employees working from Minnesota so state leave provisions do not inadvertently apply.
The Cass County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 2 approved an amendment to section 5.16 of the county employee handbook addressing telecommuting and remote work.
Personnel staff said the change responds to a Minnesota law taking effect in January 2026 that requires paid leave for employees in that state. To avoid unintended application of that law to county employees working remotely from Minnesota, the amended policy adds language allowing the county to consider other states' statutes when approving remote work arrangements and to monitor the amount of time employees spend working from Minnesota. Staff said the county will evaluate remote-work arrangements to ensure employees are not working more than 50% of their time in Minnesota, which staff said would help avoid the law applying to county employment.
The personnel director told the board the change was recommended by the personnel overview committee and had been on the prior meeting's consent agenda before being placed on the regular agenda at a commissioner's request. The board voted by roll call to adopt the handbook amendment; votes were recorded as "aye." No changes to the policy language were described during the meeting.
Ending: Staff said the amendment is intended to give the county discretion to manage cross-border remote work; any further clarifications will be brought back to the board as needed.
