NAPE/AFSCME member April Leach-Sanna, a Design Project Manager for the Department of Administrative Services, filed a grievance challenging the loss of her remote work status.
April helps with the development and design of internal office spaces for State of Nebraska employees and her work often requires that she be at the worksite being redesigned or built – not in the DAS building in Lincoln. April contacted her union representative right away when she realized that within her division, she was the only person who had her remote work status permanently revoked.
April also has an interesting perspective on ending remote work since part of her job has been to find space for the employees being recalled to offices.
“I try to make it so employees aren’t packed in,” she said. “Are they in smaller cubicles? Yes. They’re in 5’6″x7′ or 6’x8′ foot cubicles when before our standard size was 8’x8′ or 10’x10′. It’s the smallest size we’ve ever had, but we try to implement other features like glass or sit/stand desks to help minimize any feeling of being packed in.”
Her most recent project included expanding space in the Omaha State Office Building to accommodate employees who were forced to work in the office. She was able to reconfigure the cubicles to make room.
“The basis of my job is designing spaces and thinking about the environment we’re developing to make sure that employees are productive and successful,” she said. “We want to create a space that they will want to work in.”
These re-designs are not without difficulties – but April is committed to doing her job well and setting up employees for success.
“Because we’ve got to get more people into these often smaller spaces, one thing we’re doing is adding sit/stand desks to the cubicles so that people can move throughout the day and adjust their seats,” she said. “I think that will help at least a little bit with ergonomics and work fatigue.”
April noted that a lot more goes into reconfiguring these office spaces than people usually think. Electrical, data, sprinkler, and light systems sometimes have to be moved. There are construction costs and additional furniture costs, and they often have to order a lot of new products to accommodate more people.
April is a firm believer in the success of remote work.
“When employees are mobile and have autonomy to do what’s best for them, they’re going to be more efficient, happier, and do a better job,” she said.
On top of grievances like April’s, our union’s ongoing fight to protect our rights will continue at the Nebraska Supreme Court and the bargaining table. Stay tuned for updates. If you’re not already a union member, join us today!
