Jonah Paul, a state employee from California, shared that his after-work commute can often stretch until around 7 p.m. when he takes the train to his Sacramento office. This lengthy commute is set to become even more common for him, as he is among many state employees across the country facing a return to in-person work this year. This trend is being observed in both Democratic and Republican states, with large public-sector workforces in places like California and Texas, which have over 350,000 state workers combined.
The push for a return to the office aligns with moves made previously by the Trump administration for federal workers and by several big corporations such as Amazon and JP Morgan Chase. Recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that starting July 1, state employees will be required to be in the office at least four days per week, citing concerns over productivity and collaboration. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
“This executive order caught many of us off guard,” stated Paul, who leads the downtown Sacramento chapter of SEIU Local 1000, California’s largest public sector union. “People are quite upset about the sudden changes.”
Though some studies suggest that strict in-office requirements might hinder productivity, Republican governors in various states, including Missouri, Ohio, and Indiana, are justifying this shift as a means to increase efficiency after the flexibility seen during the pandemic.
In Indiana, Republican Governor Mike Braun implemented his return-to-work mandate just before President Trump’s order for federal workers. Similarly, in Texas, employees received notifications to return to the office full-time following Governor Greg Abbott’s directive to end remote work arrangements.
“Any remote work policy must ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars,” noted Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Governor Abbott. He emphasized the importance of state agencies mirroring the actions taken at the federal level.
In other states like New York, each agency has the liberty to create its own work policies. Additionally, some lawmakers in Wisconsin have tried to enforce in-person work through legislation, though this idea was rejected by Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
These shifts in workplace policies may not lead to mass resignations, but they could prompt top talent to seek employment elsewhere, affecting the recruitment and retention of skilled workers, according to economist Nicholas Bloom from Stanford University. Chris Tilly, a UCLA urban planning professor, echoes this sentiment, suggesting that states might need to enhance salaries or benefits to offset the loss of flexibility.
While some employees may dread the transition back to in-person work, many have adjusted already. For instance, over half of California’s 224,000 full-time workers, such as janitors and highway patrol officers, have routinely reported to their jobs in person.
Interestingly, Texas has chosen to revert despite evidence indicating that remote work has had positive outcomes. A state survey found that 80 out of 96 agencies reported better recruitment, and 46 observed heightened productivity, while only 40 agencies noted no improvement.
Concerns are rising among employees about the lack of exceptions for those with medical needs. Rolf Straubhaar, a Texas state employee, expressed worry that people who require remote work due to health reasons may face tough challenges.
Paul begins his day as early as 5 a.m. to catch his two-hour train ride from Oakland to the state capital, where office space constraints have already led to staggered in-office workdays. He highlighted the impracticality of forcing everyone back into the office. “It’s not truly realistic to expect everyone to return given our space limitations,” Paul remarked.
