Mayor Eric Adams will allow thousands of city employees to work remotely two days a week, in a concession to staffers who clamored for flexibility after working from home during the height of the pandemic.
As part of an agreement signed on Wednesday between Adams and District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal union, city workers who can perform their jobs remotely and have received a satisfactory review will be eligible to work from home.
The program, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was announced by the mayor on Thursday. It is expected to start in the coming weeks.
The agreement comes as the city continues to grapple with a worker shortage. More than 20,000 unfilled positions remain unfilled, leading to concerns about an erosion of city services.
Many city workers have been impatiently waiting for a remote option. However, the program will only start with two agencies — the Department of Buildings and Department of Social Services — before eventually expanding to more than 30 agencies, according to City Hall.
Both City Hall and the union must first sign off on those taking part in the program.
The plan cements an agreement the two parties had struck as part of their contract extension earlier this year. Under that deal, the city agreed to establish a committee to come up with a pilot program for remote work by June 1.
Adams has been a vocal skeptic of remote work, arguing that workers benefit from in-person interactions and that the city should set an example for the private sector. New York City’s office vacancies remain at record highs as many companies continue to embrace hybrid work schedules, leaving the recovery of some business districts in doubt.
“Look, I’m a seven-day-a-week guy, and [what] I believe is not for everyone,” Adams told reporters on Thursday when asked about his change of heart on remote work. “I’m not so rigid that I'm not willing to sit down and figure out how do we reach the goals that we want.”
DC37's head Henry Garrido said more than 1,000 positions have been submitted for consideration for remote work and that many more would be added. He stressed that the committee’s work would be ongoing.
Committee members are also looking at other flexible work arrangements, such as staggered or compressed shifts, as well as alternative benefits like commuter discounts for those who cannot work remotely.
“This is not just about remote work,” Garrido said. “It's about the consequences of the world of work changing, as we say, and how do we best address and deliver the services for New Yorkers.”
At the same time, many city workers expressed frustration with the slow rollout.
“Why can’t we implement this quickly? There’s no guesswork here,” said a senior employee at the Administration for Children’s Services, who asked that his name be withheld to avoid retribution from City Hall or his managers.
“They’re losing staff by the day,” he added.
A social worker said she had been provided scant information about the city’s remote work plan. She said her division lost 20 workers last year.
“So many people left for online therapy jobs,” she said.
Some city workers received advance notice about the program. A Department of Social Services employee told Gothamist that she learned on Friday that her unit was among those able to take part in remote work.
“I think two days is a great start,” she said, adding that she had hoped that the city would allow three days a week.
Although she said she was pleased to be included in the pilot, she bristled at a requirement that those working remotely would have to submit a report on their work plans for that day.
“We’re all adults,” she said. “We don’t need to be continuously monitored.”
Jonah Allon, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the city’s agreement with the union was the first of a series of steps to implement remote work.
“We are moving as quickly as possible to ensure agencies have the resources they need to carry out the pilot program successfully,” he said.
This story has been updated with comment from the mayor’s office.
