Kay Randolph-Pollard is Senior Advisor in Human Resources and Lead Advisor for Recruitment Services. With over 25 years of experience in HR, she specializes in recruitment, selection, and organizational development. At RGS, she leads a team of recruiters and support staff serving multiple partner agencies across California. Her perspective on remote work blends real-world recruiting practice with strategic policy insights.

Remote work has become a defining issue in today’s workplace, but its adoption in the public sector is far from straightforward. While private industry often treats hybrid arrangements as a standard perk, public agencies face unique cultural, political, and operational constraints. Yet both research and practitioner experience suggest that when thoughtfully implemented, hybrid schedules can strengthen recruitment and retention.

Hybrid vs. Remote: Why Definitions Matter

One of the first hurdles is clarity.

Kay noted, “We get that a lot when we put hybrid in our postings—people assume it means fully remote. It’s important that agencies define these terms clearly in their job descriptions.”

In reality, hybrid means a mix: being present at the agency for part of the week and working remote for the rest. This is what many public agencies offer. Very few have fully remote positions. Those that offer hybrid have different allowances. Some offer one day per week remote, others two or three.

Kay added that even words like flexible can lead to confusion. “People assume what they want the word to mean, not necessarily what the organization intends,” she said. Clear definitions and expectations, she emphasized, are the foundation for any successful remote work policy.

Where Remote Works—and Where It Doesn’t

Not every public sector role can work fully remote or hybrid. Randolph-Pollard explained that essential functions—such as public safety, utilities, and skilled trades—require employees on-site without exception. “You can’t fix a water main or turn a wrench remotely,” she said. “Even if technology allows monitoring from afar, someone still has to show up and physically handle the issue when something goes wrong.”

Administrative and knowledge-based roles, however, present more opportunities. “Accounting, IT, planning document review, portions of engineering—those can be hybrid,” she said. “It depends on how much meaningful work can be done without being on-site.” This aligns with broader findings: hybrid succeeds where the essential functions of the job don’t rely on constant physical presence.

Because local governments usually have some roles that require fully in-person work, many agencies are reluctant to allow remote work as a matter of workplace equity. These employers may be missing out on talent.

Kay emphasized that the economic environment shapes how remote work plays out. “In 2024, when the labor market was tight, hybrid was a big advantage for agencies,” she said. “But as of 2025, things have shifted—there are more candidates and fewer openings. Agencies aren’t struggling to fill roles like they were a year ago.”

Still, she warned that organizations that refuse to adapt could lose out when the market swings again. “It’s cyclical,” she explained. “When the next tight market comes, the agencies that already have hybrid policies in place will have the edge.”

Recruitment and Retention Impacts

Hybrid work improves competitiveness in recruitment.

Kay shared: “In high-cost communities, hybrid often makes the difference. If someone can commute three days a week instead of five, they might not have to relocate—and that makes the job viable.”

• At USCIS, telework significantly increased applicant interest; the IRS reported that telework expanded its geographic recruiting reach. By contrast, FSA officials linked restricted telework to recruitment and retention challenges (GAO-25-106316).
• The FY2023 Status of Telework in the Federal Government report confirmed government-wide improvements in recruitment and retention when telework/hybrid work arrangements were used (OPM, 2024).
• Telework is cited as a tool for improving recruitment and retention, while also reducing office costs and improving work-life balance (GAO-24-107162).
• At the state and local levels, half of agencies now offer flexible schedules, and 67% of HR leaders report that hybrid work improves productivity and recruiting (PSHRA, 2025).

The Role of Leadership and Community Culture

Policy decisions, not just job requirements, often determine whether remote options exist. Randolph-Pollard observed that elected officials play a decisive role, and their views are shaped by community culture and generational differences.

“As long as you have councils made up of people who grew up believing ‘work means showing up,’ that’s what they’ll expect,” she explained. “Younger elected officials tend to understand the value of flexibility—but those shifts take time.”

Research echoes this. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) notes that telework adoption and effectiveness vary widely among agencies depending on leadership direction and cultural comfort with flexibility (GAO, 2025)

Practical Barriers

Remote work is not without obstacles. Kay noted that many supervisors aren’t used to managing people they don’t see daily. “It’s a new management style,” she said. “You must build trust and accountability in different ways. And that’s hard for some.”

Other barriers include:

• Confidentiality and data security in remote environments
• Infrastructure gaps—many communities still lack reliable broadband
• Constituent expectations, especially among older residents, who prefer in-person service
• Political resistance—“Sometimes,” she added, “the barrier isn’t the manager or the staff; it’s the council or board that isn’t ready to change how people work.”

She also pointed out that hybrid policies can become politically charged. “In some communities, it’s caught up in the larger political climate—what should be a workforce discussion becomes something ideological.”

Looking Ahead

Remote work will never be universal in local government, but its footprint is expanding. Kay described the shift as “evolutionary, not revolutionary”—a gradual process shaped by economics, technology, and generational change.

She concluded, “You can’t force people—or organizations—to change overnight. But those who do evolve will have access to better talent and stronger retention.”

The evidence points in the same direction: agencies that adopt hybrid schedules where feasible not only widen their candidate pools but also enhance retention and work-life balance. Those who resist risk missing out on talent, especially as the next generation of public servants expects flexibility to be the norm.

Hybrid work, then, is not just a workplace trend. For the public sector, it is an emerging strategy for long-term competitiveness.