Great news! The COVID pandemic is slowing and numbers are down, in part because of the massive rollout of the COVID vaccine. As the rate of infections and associated deaths decline, social restrictions are easing, as well. That means that offices are re-opening and employees are being called back to work onsite. But a growing number of employees are pushing back at the in-office order.
It’s fair to say that many agencies were not prepared for their staff to work remotely and had to scramble to put systems in place so they could. The agencies that already had a cloud-based plan review solution in place were ahead of the curve, so their staff was able to work from home at full capacity with virtually no slowdown in operations. Faced with the challenge of transitioning quickly to a remote work model, other agencies recognized the need for the cloud-based model and moved quickly to implement, as well, with positive results.
Those staff who were provided the right tools for remote work and had ample communication with supervisors and peers developed a strong preference for remote work. Staff appreciated the concern for their safety and well-being. But they also realized the benefits of working from home: no commute time, traffic, the hassle of public transit, or pricey gas for their vehicles. In addition, there is the comfort and convenience of working in the home – no need to dress up (their lower half), share a kitchen, or public restroom, and…no need to wear a mask! And since there were fewer interruptions, many found that their productivity increased.
Employees want the option to work from home
It’s no surprise that there is a growing preference among employees for the work-from-home model. In fact, in a recent survey of State and Local government employees, administered by the Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement, 85% of respondents indicated that they wish to permanently continue working remotely full-time or at least part-time.
They’re willing to leave to keep the option
If required to return to the office full-time, many employees – by some estimates one in four – are considering leaving their jobs in favor of finding a permanently remote or remote-hybrid opportunity. Even among those who aren’t considering changing jobs, half of the people currently working remotely say if their current company doesn’t continue to offer remote-work options long-term, they’ll look for a job at a company that does.
With the unemployment rate substantially down from its pandemic high, the risk of a sudden high turnover rate should be a concern. However, public sector agencies have learned from direct experience that remote work is feasible and does not hinder productivity, and the looming mass exit is easily avoidable.
A win-win in the cloud
Moving your plan review and intake processes to a cloud-based solution will boost productivity and efficiency, but also provides agencies with the flexibility to work with employees to find the best working solution.
e-PlanREVIEW® and goPost™ Public Portal from e-PlanSoft equip agencies to offer remote or remote-hybrid working models. Since they are entirely electronic and browser-based, every step of the process can be performed at any time, from anywhere, and from any device with a secure internet connection. It allows concurrent, remote collaboration among project participants – even across multiple departments, so it also eliminates the unnecessary lag time, and that translates to a shorter time to approval. e-PlanREVIEW facilitates improved communications between internal and external participants and provides transparency, so staff can track the status of the project at every stage.
The result is that your plan reviews run better, smoother, and faster, and your staff are equipped to perform their job more efficiently – from anywhere.
Want to see how e-PlanREVIEW can make your staff more productive from anywhere?
Request a demo today at www.eplansoft.com/request-a-demo.