When President Donald Trump ordered federal workers back to the office, red state governors took notice and started issuing decrees for state-level employees to do the same.
Earlier this month, Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine ordered state employees who had been working remotely back to their offices full-time starting March 17. Dewine says the order applies to everyone unless, he said, “there is some urgent reason why they need to continue to work remotely or something unique about the job or that individual.”
DeWine said that many state workers, from highway patrol officers to state hospital employees, can never work remotely and that this restores fairness for everyone.
In Ohio, the Chamber of Commerce cheered the move as a way to inject new life into a downtown that has been emptier since state workers started working from home at the beginning of the pandemic.
Still, not everyone is thrilled — and some question the motives.
“I think they are hoping to shrink state payrolls with this move, not improve service,” one state managerial employee who spoke with Quartz and wished not to be identified. The worker said the timing is poor also and hurts people who benefit from remote work the most.
“Doing it in the middle of the school year on short notice means people will be scrambling for child care and caregiver arrangements,” the employee said.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt is bringing workers back to the office this month. In Nebraska, the issue of mandating state workers back to the office is tied up in the courts with over 8,000 workers in limbo.
Employment experts are not thrilled with the move and say it is short-sighted. Patrice Williams-Lindo, CEO of career coaching firm Career Nomad, said that returning to the office doesn’t automatically breed productivity — and it often breeds resentment.
“The narrative that proximity equals performance is outdated,” Williams-Lindo said. She added that remote work opened doors for talent who were often excluded from traditional spaces, such as caregivers, disabled workers, and underrepresented groups. As a result of the new mandates, states may see talent drain away.
“They’ll pivot to employers who understand that productivity isn’t measured by badge swipes,” Williams-Lindo said.
Drew Deeter, Senior Account Executive at tech PR firm Compromise, is also skeptical of the everyone-return-to-office orders. Deter said there are many collaborative benefits to working in the office, but everyone is different.
“Ultimately, the most successful approach will likely involve flexibility,” said Deeter. “People thrive in different work environments, and a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t maximize productivity or employee satisfaction.”