SALT LAKE CITY (June 2, 2021) — To address air quality concerns and protect employee safety, eligible state employees will surge remote work on bad air quality and other special circumstance days, such as blizzard conditions. Thursday, June 3, will be the first Surge Remote Work day due to a mandatory action forecast.
“Remote work presents a cost-effective solution to many of our greatest challenges,” Governor Spencer Cox shared. “Even just one day of remote work saves pounds of pollutants from being released to the atmosphere, and the ability of our workforce to quickly adapt during snowstorms and other emergencies allows impressive continuity of service for our customers.”
Agencies were asked to identify employees who are eligible for surge remote work. Those positions may or may not also be eligible for the state’s long-term remote work program, which began as a pilot in 2019. Remote work has been found to increase employee satisfaction, allow rural applicants to apply for jobs traditionally limited to the Wasatch Front, decrease air pollution, and save taxpayer dollars.
“We hope that more Utahns will join us as we take action to keep employees off of dangerous roads and reduce pollutants to keep our communities healthy,” said SB15 sponsor Senator Dan McCay.
“The One Utah Roadmap charges the state to embrace remote work in order to ‘…decrease environmental impact, increase productivity, and create job opportunities for Utahns across the state.’ We are making a prudent, proactive investment in the health of our communities,” Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget Executive Director Sophia DiCaro stated.
To learn more about the State of Utah’s remote work program, please visit gopb.utah.gov. For surge remote work updates, follow @RemoteWorkUtah on Twitter.