Working from home, something borne from the COVID era, has been the topic of much debate over the past few years and the practice hit the floor of the House of Assembly yesterday. Ears perked when it was revealed that an employee of the government was cited for taking total advantage of the liberty.
It wasn’t a day for politicians throwing barbs at each other, but a hearing of the Public Accounts Committee into the finances of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The committee, comprised of MHAs from all parties and chaired by PC Helen Conway Ottenheimer, pores over reports from the Auditor General—in this case, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.
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Sherry Gambin Walsh
Placentia & St. Mary’s MHA Sherry Gambin Walsh asked Comptroller General Julie Moore about what she termed “time theft.”
She asked if there are policies in place to detect abuse of working from home privileges.
Comptroller General Moore said there are performance standards which have to be met, and anyone who does not meet them probably would not be a candidate to be considered for work from home.
She says there was one fraud case where they found an employee who was supposedly working from home but, at the same time, had a second full-time job.