Summary

The decision means the permanent removal of 800 employees from the King Street Center building in Pioneer Square. The building is county-owned and DNRP employees previously occupied nearly half of the eight-story building

Story

King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn is releasing the following statement on roughly 800 county employees being permanently designated to work from home. Management at the Dept. of Natural Resources — which accounts for approximately 1,800 employees in total — made the decision unilaterally this week:

“This is a hugely impactful decision made with zero public process or workplan. By ordering nearly half its employees to permanently work from home, DNRP has set a dangerous precedent for King County operations that could escalate to impact the remaining 19,000 County employees and agencies.

“It’s alarming that DNRP issued a rushed mandatory telecommuting policy without presenting any required standards for productivity or success, management plans, assurance of performance levels, or even how to handle potential abuses of the system by employees who don’t pull their weight.

“Without these assurances, I am very concerned that taxpayers won’t get the same quality of service as when employees were required to show up to work. I think taxpayers deserve better planning and accountability from the executive branch before we commit the County to this path. The King County Council must have a chance to weigh in.”