Derek Sandison, Director, and Patrick Capper, Deputy Director
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| The "Woman Dancing" statue on the East Capitol Campus in Olympia, with the Natural Resources Building in the background. |
The COVID-19 pandemic caused an immediate and seismic shift in the way we work. Many essential WSDA employees continued their inspection and investigative work on jobsites with new safety procedures. Many others left office cubicles behind and have been primarily working from home for nearly a year now.
Where and how will we work going forward? How can we apply what we’ve learned to a post-COVID future?
On Feb. 5, agency Leadership Team members and key support staff met to discuss questions like these and how “modern work environment” guidelines could be used to re-envision our workspace.
The initial focus of this effort will be on the Natural Resources Building, the agency’s headquarters in Olympia where about one-quarter of our workforce is based. But the eventual plan is likely to affect all staff members to some degree and the agency as a whole.
While unplanned and involuntary, our 2020 experience presents an opportunity for WSDA to explore and plan for new ways to work and use office space.
This post-COVID workspace planning conversation has just begun. However, in some ways it’s a continuation of work that began in 2016, when the biggest challenge in the NRB was lack of space.
To support a 2016 governor’s executive order, the Office of Financial Management began helping state agencies identify, experiment with and adopt innovative ways to support its business by modernizing physical environments, providing greater workplace flexibility, and enabling a more mobile workforce.
A survey issued to all WSDA employees in October 2020 confirmed a significant shift to some level of telework status.
Before COVID-19, about half of all agency staff worked fulltime in an agency facility, such as an office. Since pandemic restrictions took place, about one-third of all WSDA employees work fulltime from their homes, with another third spending some of their time teleworking.
The same survey revealed that 94 percent of respondents preferred to continue some level of teleworking, either fulltime or at least more so than before COVID-19. More than 80 percent of teleworkers reported their work productivity was either the same or had improved.
Our current teleworking requirements remain in place – employees in positions that allow performing all or part of their jobs from home should continue teleworking at least through March. Leadership is assessing teleworking plans quarterly.
As the state approves reopening phases and vaccines become more available, it becomes more likely that some level of return-to-work will occur this year. But how and where we work will likely look quite different than in 2019.
Among the issues discussed in the initial WSDA planning meeting last week were how to:
- Leverage the advantages and preferences for teleworking while enhancing collaboration and connection among staff.
- Provide consistent and helpful guidance and policy while building in flexibility for individual situations.
- Design around work rather than individuals.
As this planning effort continues, a core group of staff representing facilities, project management, fiscal, human resources, and communications will incorporate direction from the Leadership Team and input from program managers. And they will provide opportunities for line staff to provide input as well.
The planning we do now will position WSDA to transition to the modern workplace environment of the future.
Stay tuned to the Connect, this Insider blog, and watch for emails to learn about developments as we move forward.
In summary: Where and how will we work going forward? How can we apply what we’ve learned to a post-COVID future? On Feb. 5, agency Leadership Team members and key support staff met to discuss questions like these and how “modern work environment” guidelines could be used to re-envision our workspace. As the state approves reopening phases and vaccines become more available, it becomes more likely that some level of return-to-work will occur this year. The planning we do now will position WSDA to transition to the modern workplace environment of the future.
