2020 State of the Court Report

The ‘Tidal Wave’ of Workplace Impacts

In addition to the sudden shift of working from home (where feasible), SBSC like many organizations across the world, experienced a tidal wave of workplace impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many positions with direct public contact required in-person public assistance and had to be staffed, and fully available at the court. Those positions included judges, staff from the clerk’s offices, self-help, and courtroom staff. Many positions also assumed new duties as a result of the pandemic, and as the needs of the organization changed in response to COVID-19. With remote appearances highly encouraged in most case types, judicial officers and staff had to become well-versed in video technology to handle cases remotely, where feasible. New duties as assigned also included being well-versed and up-to-date with the newest safety guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) and state and local health authorities. For example, contact-tracing became a new duty for Human Resources requiring a lot of staff time to ensure proper intake, communication and return-to-work was handled appropriately. Triaging the public for population control was handled by security and clerk’s office staff, and court facility staff installed signage for social distancing, plexiglass where needed, and other safety measures to ensure the health and safety of all those who visit and work at the court. With Clerk’s Office hours reduced, hours of operation were extended at the call center, which helped the public with general information, payments and accepting proof of traffic school completion. If you ‘see something, say something’ campaign launched internally, which allowed any judicial officer or employee to report unsafe working conditions, such as custodial concerns, to ensure court facilities are cleaned and sanitized, as appropriate.

% of Workforce Impacted by School Closures

Reduced Schedule or Separated Employment 432 108 # Workforce Impacted by School Closures

41%