By Caitlin McGlade | The Arizona Republic
Glendale leaders are taking a closer look at telecommuting after a former city executive worked from across the country for nearly a year in 2011.
The city has no comprehensive policy and few employees who work from home. Across the Valley, some communities have policies. And the state has long been an advocate of telecommuting as a way to improve air quality, employee morale and production.
The state telecommuting policy does not prohibit work from out of state.
The Republic first wrote in December 2011 about Human Resources Executive Director Alma Carmicle’s telecommute from Mississippi. She retired two months later. The arrangement was again highlighted in an external audit released this past August.
Although the audit does not explicitly criticize the long-distance work arrangement, which it says was approved by former City Manager Ed Beasley, it notes that Carmicle maintained her title as head of Human Resources while limiting her duties to negotiating a contract with union employees. And it raises questions about whether she effectively communicated with staff.
