Selectboard member concerned about Meredith town employees 'consistently' working from home

MEREDITH — Selectboard member Mike Pelczar is concerned about town employees working from home, and is pressing the town manager to keep remote work policies consistent for all staff.

Pelczar said, at the meeting on July 13, he has been asking about the May 11 minutes, and the revisions were not to his liking.

During selectboard member comments on May 11, Pelczar addressed Town Manager Judie Milner, saying that in the interview process, one thing they felt strongly about was working from home.

“I think as a board we are very clear that we’re public, we service the residents and people, and that we want our employees 100% in the office, and not working from home,” Pelczar said. “I’m not sure where that’s at. There’s going to be emergencies, but it should be emergency situations. I don’t know where we are with that.”

Milner responded she acknowledged discussing it with the selectboard on “a couple of occasions.”

“I let the board know that every once in a while, working at home actually gets people five times more work done, because they don’t have that distraction,” Milner said. “But it is an exception, and it is not a rule. Even for myself, when I work at home, it’s an exception, not a rule. But I’ve got to tell you, I get a lot more work done when I’m not being distracted.”

Milner said not everybody can work at home, but if someone has a specific need, such as a plumber coming to their home, she will allow it “every once in a while.”

Pelczar clarified this is for all employees, and asked if there are any who work from home on a weekly basis.

“Absolutely not,” Milner replied.

On July 13, Pelczar wanted the minutes to make clear the conversation between himself and Milner.

“That’s better wording for it,” Pelczar said. “What was here, I don’t like that one at all.”

Pelczar said in the meeting he had been kicking it down the road long enough, and felt it was time to discuss it, as a board. He thinks town employees serve the public, and should be in their offices or respective vehicles for 40 hours per week.

“I know a lot of employees who feel the same way,” Pelczar said.

Pelczar said he had no problem with occasional exceptions, but he doesn’t find it fair for residents, or employees who don’t have the luxury of working from home. He asked how the rest of the board felt, and all agreed except for the board chair.

Selectboard member Jeanie Forrester said the town is a public-facing organization, and staff should be available. Even closing the planning and development department early irked her, she said, but it was the prerogative of the town manager to do so.

“I think that we’ve had this discussion before, about people working remotely on a regular basis,” Forrester said.

She agreed with Pelczar there are times where it makes sense to be flexible.

“But to have a employee, or select employees, working routinely — let’s say every Friday — from home, it’s not, in my opinion, fair to other employees,” Forrester said. “I tend to agree with Mike.”

Lynn Leighton agreed, saying taxpayers fund town employee salaries. She said taxpayers work their schedules around being able to come to Town Hall.

“We want to be a premier employer, so I just want everybody to be treated fairly,” Leighton said.

Jim Gregoire agreed, and said town employees should be in their offices, but exceptions can be made. However, anyone spending significant time working remotely should not be allowed, unless given the permission of the board.

The lone selectboard member who felt otherwise was Chair Steve Aiken.

“Now I know how it feels to be Mike, because I disagree with all of you,” Aiken said with a laugh. “No comment. I just disagree.”

Pelczar said, in an interview on July 15, what prompted the concerns dated back two months. He said as a board member, he thinks they are all public servants, who answer questions in public. What he heard from the majority of town employees is they feel the same way, and they should be in their workplaces.

“Our feeling was that when we were in the interview process, we talked about that, and wanted five days, 40 hours, unless there are emergencies,” Pelczar said. “I’m not trying to be hard on them, but wanted to see what the rest of the board felt.”

Pelczar said he has had “more than one” employee tell him people are working from home. He thought this was unacceptable, as there are some employees, like those in the public works, fire and police departments, who simply don’t have that option.

“It’s only fitting and fair,” Pelczar said.

When asked if he heard people were consistently working from home, Pelczar responded, “yes.” Asked if this included the town manager, Pelczar said he knows of times when Milner has worked from home, which she has acknowledged, but is “in the office the majority of the time.”

Pelczar wanted to bring it up publicly, and said it all comes back to communication between the board and town manager. He understands the workforce is changing, but a town government is different. He also said this is Milner’s discretion, and he wanted to make sure they are all on the same page.

“We’re one team with one fight, working toward a common goal,” Pelczar said. “I want to be on the same playing field, and for the same reasons.”