Washoe County's Phantom Telecommuting Policy: Is it All Words, No Action?
Did County Manager Eric Brown do the home inspection per county policy of Chief Information Officer Behzad Zamanian Southern California residence. How often have additional periodic inspections been done, and at what cost to taxpayers?
Washoe County's telecommuting policy reads like a meticulous rulebook—except nobody seems to be following the rules.
The timing raises eyebrows: updated October 15, 2021, roughly nine months after Chief Information Officer Behzad Zamanian began working remotely. Was the policy conveniently rewritten to accommodate the person overseeing the county's digital security working from... somewhere else?
Washoe County Telecommuting Policy revised October 15, 2021.
Our public records requests seeking basic accountability:
Who's inspecting these remote workspaces as required by policy?
Did anyone from the county ever visit Zamanian's home office, and at what taxpayer expense? Since he lives in Southern California.
Where are the mandatory weekly time records telecommuting employees must submit?
How many county employees are actually telecommuting?
What mechanisms prevent employees from using remote work as free childcare?
Who qualifies as a "Washoe County Safety Officer," and when was the last time they conducted the "periodic" inspections mandated by policy?
Washoe County Telecommuting Policy revised October 15, 2021.
The county should be providing these records quickly, based on the request from Commissioner Clara Andriola, but they are stalling, which suggests two possibilities: either they're hiding uncomfortable answers, or—perhaps worse—they have no answers because they've abandoned their own oversight requirements. Oh wait, we forgot they are too overwhelmed with public record records hence the 30-day wait.
Per the Washoe County Telecommuting Policy it is fairly easy to terminate the arrangement. Interesting County Manager Eric Brown will allow his direct report to stay in Southern California working only 4.5 days per month in Nevada after four years.
Why create elaborate policies if you're not going to enforce them? Perhaps because having a policy looks responsible on paper, even when the reality is anything but.
Telecommuting Policy by documents on Scribd