California orders state workers back to office

California state employees are getting codified policy on how often they can work from home, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) office announced Wednesday.

Cabinet Secretary Ann Patterson wrote in a memo acquired by The Hill that the governor’s administration will require all state employees to work at least two days a week from the office starting June 17, standardizing disparate policies among state agencies.

Citing the receding COVID pandemic, Patterson said a standard policy was needed for about half of the state’s 230,000 workers that can work from home because each state department had its unique policy.

The “varied approaches created confusion around expectations and are likely to exacerbate inconsistencies across agencies,” Patterson wrote.

She added that in-person work carried its own benefits that must be considered, including “enhanced collaboration, cohesion, and communication, better opportunities for mentorship, particularly for workers newer to the workforce, and improved supervision and accountability.”

Exceptions will be allowed on a case-by-case basis, she continued, and said she “looks forward to a continued dialogue” on the subject.

The Newsom administration embraced remote work during the COVID pandemic to fight the spread of COVID and keep government work competitive with the benefits of the private sector. As many private sector employers force their workers back in, the government is now slowly following.

The move comes as local city leaders across the country urge companies and governments to encourage in-person work, citing declining downtowns and high office vacancy rates. 

About 15 percent of American workers are completely remote, according to U.S. Census data released in February, three times higher than before the pandemic.

Labor unions have generally argued against forced returns, citing a lack of evidence that they are really beneficial to work. Studies have shown that most workers are just as, if not more, efficient when working remotely than in the office.

Patterson said that the labor unions representing California state workers were informed of the decision Wednesday. The Hill has reached out to Service Employees International Union Local 1000, the largest California state employee union, for comment.