Two top Hennepin County officials work in California under pandemic-inspired work policy
A year into his job, Hennepin County Library Director Chad Helton has moved to Los Angeles, where he says he will work "most of the time." The county's human resources chief, 30-year Hennepin County veteran Michael Rossman, has been living in Palm Springs, Calif., since January. Working remotely has been a success and presented no problem for him, he says. But the living situations for both department heads have raised eyebrows among some county employees, many of whom must go to workplaces to serve the public — particularly library workers who say Helton should be based in the metro area where Hennepin's 41 branches are located.
Helton and Rossman's residential situation has the backing of County Administrator David Hough, who said the interim policy was developed by top administrators last year. It permits employees to work out of the state during the pandemic as long as their supervisors approve of the move and they can do their jobs. According to the county, 74 Hennepin County employees are now working out of state. That number includes 45 in Wisconsin, at least some of whom likely live in the western part of the state near the Twin Cities. Helton and Rossman, who each make more than $180,000 a year, are the highest level county officials working out of state.
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The interim policy to work out of state was implemented in November and requires workers to get approval from their supervisors and Rossman himself. The policy was scheduled to end Sept. 7, but it was extended last week to Dec. 31 and could be extended beyond that, according to a memorandum from Rossman. He said it wasn't a conflict of interest for him to take advantage of a policy he helped develop.
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Helton first officially told library staffers about his move to California in an e-mail on July 28. "New policies are in development," Helton wrote in part, "but in the interim, the county has offered hybrid and remote staff greater flexibility for remote working locations. Helton, a North Carolina native who headed the Los Angeles library system's branches before taking the Hennepin County job a year ago this month, declined to say why he had chosen to make his permanent home in Los Angeles.
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Cathy Fischer, president of the Friends of the Plymouth Library — one of the busiest branches in the Hennepin system — said Helton's relocation to California was disrespectful to the community and to front-line staffers who are providing in-person service to the public. He should "be visiting libraries, thanking and encouraging staff," she said, as well as getting to know the communities served by the libraries. Teresa Barnhill, an office specialist who works at the Ridgedale Library, said library workers feel unsupported by the administration.
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https://www.startribune.com/two-top-hennepin-county-officials-work-in-california-under-pandemic-inspired-work-policy/600086664
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This is unbelievable. Working from home should not be working in Minnesota from California for a long duration. I think that this is especially egregious by the library director Helton who, it seems, came from Los Angeles last year, waved to the natives, tolerated us for a year and then decided to go back home to Los Angeles while getting his salary.