Baltimore, MD – In an effort to adapt to the evolving landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Chief Administrative Officer Faith P. Leach announced a directive that will increase the in-person presence of city government employees. Effective January 2, 2024, city agencies and departments are encouraged to limit telework to no more than two days per week for employees.
During the pandemic, Baltimore City had maximized teleworking opportunities to address the public health crisis. “The pandemic showed us that we can still be productive in remote work environments, but it is critical that residents are able to effectively interact with city agencies,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. The revised telework policy aims to strike a balance between maintaining a productive hybrid work environment and ensuring efficient city service delivery.
“The new hybrid plan is an intentional approach to balance these needs while delivering on the promise of improved customer service and efficient city service delivery for our residents,” added Chief Administrative Officer Faith P. Leach.
The updates come as a part of the city’s ongoing efforts to modernize its operations and to reflect best practices learned from the “Future of Work” pilot program initiated on April 20, 2022.
To ensure the seamless transition to the new working model, the Scott Administration has outlined a 90-day plan.
This includes submitting an updated telework policy for review and approval, releasing an expanded telework request form for employees, and finalizing an enterprise-wide building and workspace consolidation plan. Technological updates from the Baltimore City Information Technology Department will also be provided to increase staff efficiency during hybrid work.
The changes are expected to impact around 2,000 city employees who currently work remotely more than three days per week. However, the majority of Baltimore City’s nearly 14,000 government workers are either already full-time in-person staff or are teleworking two days or less per week due to the nature of their roles.