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Remote working and digital services going well for Town of Innisfil

The town has adapted to working remotely and offering more service online
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Customer service supervisor Lisa Biegel and economic development champion Brennan Kenny say the Town of Innisfil is considering allowing more remote work for employees, but note that in-person service is not going anywhere. Shane MacDonald, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The COVID-19 pandemic required the Town of Innisfil to quickly embrace digital customer service offerings and remote working, and depending on what the data shows, they could be here to stay. 

Having already invested in many digital services before the pandemic  struck, the move to digital services and remote working went well for the town, said customer service supervisor Lisa Biegel. 

“It was actually fairly seamless, to be quite honest with you,” Biegel said. “We did not have any disruption in our service.”

Town hall reopened to the public on July 20, but data shows that  residents continued to use digital services that were made available to  them. 

In September, in-person inquiries were down 68 per cent year-over-year, with digital inquiries up 159 per cent. 

While there is a customer-service presence at town hall, many town  staff continue to work remotely, as recommended by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU). 

According to an internal survey, remote working seems to be working well for most town employees that are able to do it. 

“Ninety per cent felt they were either as or more productive at home or remotely,” said Brennan Kenny, economic development champion with the  Town of Innisfil. 

Those numbers have some at the town considering a remote approach to work beyond the pandemic. 

“Sustaining the pre-pandemic levels of productivity while in a remote  environment to me says that it's a viable option,” Kenny said. 

When the SMDHU eventually gives the all-clear to return to business  as usual, town staff will report back to council with a report that will  consider continuing the remote-first approach that started during the  pandemic. 

Remote first would still see staff attend the office regularly, but  their primary work environment would be remote. Kenny said the idea  could present several benefits to the municipality including cost  savings, the ability to attract high-caliber staff, reduced absenteeism  and reduced environmental impacts. 

“The key here is flexibility and choice, and it's an opportunity for  people to decide how they want to be served by the local government,”  Kenny said. “We’re always going to keep that in-person service, it's  critical.”

At the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library, acting CEO Susan Baues said the  move to more digital services presents challenges for a community hub  that was focused on welcoming people inside. Now the library is  operating on a grab-and-go model, but staff continue to reimagine the  services they offer. 

“It's a balancing act,” Baues said. 

While the digital collection also saw an increase in use, Baues said  the library is looking at more services to meet people who can’t access that, such as a homebound delivery service. She said the library can  also play a role in getting people online and educated if they don’t  have that option at home. 

“That's a huge issue, right, so we've been thinking about mobile  outreach – can we bring the connectivity to that person?” she said. “I think the pandemic has highlighted the importance of the digital  literacy and that we need to make sure that we don't leave anyone  behind.”

Shane MacDonald, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Barrie Advance