Despite coronavirus, officials worry KC City Hall is slow to let workers telecommute
Though Mayor Quinton Lucas urged private employers days ago to start sending workers home to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s unclear how many Kansas City employees have made the transition. Some officials feel the process is moving too slowly.
“I think it’s irresponsible, to be completely frank about it, when all of our messaging to the public is social distancing,” said Councilman Eric Bunch, 4th District. “We’re encouraging ... the business community to allow their employees to work from home. We’re not leading by example.”
On Wednesday afternoon, fewer than 100 members of the city’s massive payroll had reported that they were working from home through a survey set up to track the emergency effort, said Assistant City Manager Rick Usher. By Thursday that number had grown to more than 190. He believed, however, there were many more who had left City Hall but not yet reported their status.
Usher estimated that perhaps 1,000 of the city’s employees could conceivably do their jobs from home, though he acknowledged it was not precise.
The number working from home is sure to grow now that City Hall is shutting its doors for six hours on Friday for deep cleaning, but still, the pace with which the city government is moving to protect its workers has vexed some leaders and spurred action among elected officials.
Bunch — along with Lucas and several other co-sponsors — on Thursday introduced a resolution compelling interim City Manager Earnest Rouse to send home all employees — both essential and nonessential — whose jobs could feasibly be done remotely. Nonessential employees whose jobs can’t be done remotely would be placed on paid leave, under the resolution.
Many city employees, such as garbage collectors, can’t reasonably do their jobs from home. Those with essential functions would be instructed to follow social-distancing and hygiene practices.
The resolution passed unanimously.
Lucas’ spokeswoman, Morgan Said, said in a statement that the resolution would push Rouse to move quickly.
“The mayor does not believe that the City has been working expeditiously enough to protect our employees by sending them home,” she said.
Bunch said earlier in the day that he wasn’t sure how many employees could reasonably work from home, but it was surely more than 95.
“I could probably name 95 people off the top of my head who could do their work from home,” Bunch said.
Usher said he was happy with the progress City Hall was making, noting that leaders still want to provide essential services even as they move employees.
“What I’ve experienced in the last two weeks ... is an attitude of making this happen as rapidly as we can,” Usher said, “so I haven’t experienced any department heads dragging their feet or trying to say no to this program.”
Usher said department heads have been authorizing employees, especially those in high-risk groups, to start working from home for two weeks. He said department directors and managers have given numerous verbal authorizations for employees to work from home, making the precise number difficult to track.
“Employees are being encouraged where plans are in place and the technology is there to move them to this situation,” Usher said.
To be able to work from home, Usher said, employees need approval from their supervisor and to fill out a plan regarding how they will spend their time and effectively do their job. Many of those plans, Usher said, are already filled out as part of department “continuity of operations plans.”
They’re also being asked to fill out a survey so leaders know who is working from home and what needs they might have, though he said that was not the city’s top priority.
Bunch objected to putting “such a bureaucratic process on something that is as basic as putting someone to work on a computer at their house.”
