I guess remote work is the new library porn for the Idaho legislature. It seems the Republican legislative leadership has decided it can manage state employees better that the administrators watching their work product.
A couple bills have been introduced to limit remote work by state employees. I guess we all gotta have something, don’t we?
For me, it the jerks who don’t signal their turn. But there’s already a law about that. In my brief time in the legislature, I didn’t look around for laws to pass to make my nonsignaling citizens suffer. I never thought about bumping up that penalty. But I was an Idaho Democrat. I couldn’t engage in culture wars. Despite what Dorothy Moon says, most Idaho Democrats in elected positions know the political landscape, and work with it. We can’t afford to be culture warriors.
But Idaho Republicans seem to be doing just that.
There indeed may be some evidence that Democrats are more accepting of remote work than Republicans.
Why don’t they go after Subarus? It’s a well-known fact that progressive folks in this northern clime buy all wheel drive Subarus, not 4WD Ford F150’s.
A North Idaho Republican State Senator griped to me about how he was getting grief that his wife drove a Subaru. “They’re great in the snow and they get good mileage. Why can’t a Republican drive a Subaru?†He’s no longer in the legislature.
The Culture Wars of the Idaho legislature are pitiful. Except, they get to write our laws. Please, never forget that. And the legislature has the hubris to tell the executive branch how to run government.
The endless culture wars bills come out early in the legislative session. I will skip past the abortion and anti-gay and transexual laws. Because this one seems so silly.
Why can’t state employees in this day and age work from home?
Is it because while they are at home, doing work through their internet connection they might also get the laundry done?
Is it because they might be more likely to vote Democratic?
Is it because they might have progressive ideas about how things should be happening?
Maybe it’s been shown in some Koch Brothers data mining that people that work at home are more likely to favor solar panels and Subarus, thus vote Democratic.
In any event, the Idaho Legislature has decided it is in our, the taxpayer’s best interest to micromanage state employees.
These early introduced bills are often just a locating shot, for their pals back home to know where they stand. But in this case, they have received significant traction.
The interim Director of the Department of Health and Welfare has instituted a policy to restrict all DHW workers so they can only work 20% of their time from home.
Working from home might make good sense. If you are screening data on Medicaid claims, why do you need to drive in from Meridian, park in your spot, and log in? Does the state have an interest that you have to commute for another hour and a half each day? Is the state better served that you can’t do the laundry between reviewing claims?
If the work is not getting done, we have a management problem, not a policy issue.
But the Idaho legislature seems to think that protecting us taxpayers from these “home workers†serves us.
They aren’t protecting us from home schoolers.
I don’t get it. It doesn’t make any fiscal sense.
If moms or dads are great to teach their kids at home, why can’t state employees do such work for us from their homes?
It’s just another culture war. Give it up. Fight for all of us, not just for those that vote for you.