Bill Text: HI SCR184 | 2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Human Resources Development To Conduct A Sample Survey Of Organizations In The State Within The For-profit, Nonprofit, And Government Sectors That Have Successfully Implemented Remote Work, Hybrid Work, Or Telework Arrangements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-04-23 - Resolution adopted in final form. [SCR184 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-SCR184-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
184 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT TO CONDUCT A SAMPLE SURVEY OF ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE WITHIN THE FOR-PROFIT, NONPROFIT, AND GOVERNMENT SECTORS THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED REMOTE WORK, HYBRID WORK, OR TELEWORK ARRANGEMENTS.
WHEREAS, housing is expensive across the State; and
WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization reported in their 2023 article The Hawaiʻi Housing Factbook that the median price for a single family home in the State has increased by two hundred sixty percent from 2000 to 2022, and that home prices are 4.7 times higher now than in 2000, according to the repeat sales index; and
WHEREAS, there are areas in the State, including rural portions of each island, that have substantially less expensive housing than those in urban and more populated areas; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Act 57, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019, the Department of Human Resources Development reported to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2024, that nearly four thousand seven hundred out of the seventeen thousand six hundred civil service positions in the State's Executive Branch were vacant as of November 2023, not including the University of Hawaii System or the Department of Education; and
WHEREAS, identifying state jobs that are viable prospects for remote work and areas of the State where housing is affordable but high-paying jobs are not readily available, and pairing the identified remote job prospects with the State's local workforce would meaningfully address the State's lack of affordable housing in certain areas, help keep local families in the State, and strengthen community ties; and
WHEREAS, to assist with the need for remote work jobs in areas where high-paying job opportunities are limited, funds should be invested in these areas to ensure that there are sufficient broadband infrastructure to support an increase in remote workers and sufficient co-working facilities to assist people who want to stay in their communities to work but do not have appropriate space in their own homes; and
WHEREAS, co-working facilities can also be used for community events in the evenings, weekends, and off-work hours, and existing state facilities such as state libraries could be utilized as co-working facilities; and
WHEREAS, through efforts such as the mandate of the School Facilities Authority to build educator workforce housing on underutilized Department of Education land, the State is addressing the demands for work and jobs while making them both accessible to communities near where workers live, work, play, and shop; and
WHEREAS, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to much of the State working remotely full-time and workplace flexibilities played a significant role nationwide in ensuring employees were able to meet both their work and family responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has had remote work options for its employees since the 1970s; and
WHEREAS, before the COVID-19 pandemic, only three percent of federal employees teleworked every day, but that percentage grew substantially during the pandemic when a record fifty-nine percent of employees worked from home daily, and in March 2020, the United States Office of Management and Budget released guidance on telework flexibilities for the federal government; and
WHEREAS, even after the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommuting and remote services have remained popular, which has led to renewed interest in strategies to create more sustainable communities; and
WHEREAS, transportation costs tend to be borne disproportionately by the most vulnerable in the community and must be addressed alongside affordable housing strategies, or these inequities will persist; and
WHEREAS, in the State, Ulupono Initiative's Vehicle Economy Study (2021) showed that personal vehicles cost an additional $16,200 per household per year, or $8,100 per vehicle per year, and that regardless of whether households owned cars, the public cost of sustaining the State's vehicle economy amounts to roughly $15,000 per taxpayer per year, or $24,400 per household per year, and for a state where household median income is roughly $80,000 per year, these costs amount to about thirty percent of household pre-tax income; and
WHEREAS, providing transportation options along with affordable housing will not only make life more affordable in the State, but also support broader efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to support the State's decarbonization goals; and
WHEREAS, according to the Honolulu Connect Transportation Demand Management Plan, approximately thirty to fifty percent of trips made by people driving alone in Honolulu are under three miles, which presents a key opportunity for shifting travel behavior to more sustainable and affordable modes of transportation; and
WHEREAS, there are established best practices for remote work and hybrid work with respect to management and productivity, including:
(1) Establishing policies that provide clear guidelines and expectations;
(2) Providing appropriate training sessions and materials to support training for both managers and employees;
(3) Providing clear communications, recognizing that employees and managers must invest additional effort to ensure their communications are effective and that they are providing a continuous flow of information; and
(4) Engaging in frequent consultations with unions to ensure a clear understanding of policy and procedures;
now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Human Resources Development is requested to conduct a sample survey of organizations in the State within the for-profit, nonprofit, and government sectors that have successfully implemented remote work, hybrid work, or telework arrangements; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the sample survey is requested to identify examples of best practices for implementation of a remote work program, including:
(1) Best practices for managers or supervisors of remote workers;
(2) Best practices for measuring productivity in a remote work or hybrid work environment; and
(3) Lessons learned from running a remote work or hybrid work program in the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development is requested to collaborate with the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization to identify areas of the State that have a combination of lower housing costs and decreased access to high-paying jobs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office is requested to analyze the condition of the existing broadband infrastructure in the areas of the State that have a combination of lower housing costs and decreased access to high-paying jobs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, in collaboration with the findings of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Resources Development, Executive Director of the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, and Broadband Director of the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office.
Department of Human Resources Development; Hybrid Work; Remote Work; Sample Survey; Report
