Union proposes telework and home office stipend
On Friday, March 16, 2021, the Union submitted a monthly home office stipend and one-time telework cash payment proposal to CFPB Labor Relations.
Here's a summary of what we’ve proposed:
- A home office stipend for permanently home-duty-stationed employees, which is intended to provide a non-taxable $600.00 monthly payment to cover home office space mortgage or rent, insurance, utilities, and Internet costs associated with working from home. Employees who are not home-duty-stationed would only receive this benefit for the duration of the maximum telework posture imposed by the pandemic, retroactively.
- Expanding the $200 office supply monthly allowance and ordering policy currently available to examiners to all home duty-stationed and teleworking employees.
- A one-time telework cash payment of $2,250.00 for all bargaining unit employees who are not permanently home-duty-stationed, which is intended to cover the costs of the same home office supplies and equipment that home-duty-stationed employees currently have access to.
Read the full proposal [PDF]
I have serious concerns with this proposal. I am worried that it will discourage CFPB management from making telework more available permanently. Also, it is not true that CFPB employees had to purchase equipment and supplies to be able to work from home. It was possible to have CFPB send equipment and supplies to your home office. I personally requested and received a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.