Like many state employees, I was shocked by the March 25 email from Gov. Tim Walz announcing that state employees will be required to work in-person at least 50% of the time starting June 1. While many questions remain about the policy change — such as whether there will be enough desks after agencies downsized their spaces and what prompted this abrupt shift — one thing is clear: this change will cause significant, avoidable harm to many Minnesota families.
The state workforce’s shift to remote work began in response to COVID-19, but data shows that remote work is highly effective for the state. The commissioner of the Department of Revenue recently highlighted the benefits of the agency’s hybrid model, noting increased productivity, improved employee recruitment and retention, expanded job access in Greater Minnesota, and cost savings of $2.45 million annually from reduced office space needs.
Remote work hasn’t just improved outcomes for state services, it has also allowed employees to effectively balance their work and family responsibilities. There has been a lot of talk about state employees in the media, but I wanted to share directly how the remote work has helped many state workers to keep their families afloat, particularly as they navigate systemic issues facing Minnesota like rising childcare costs, strained school finances, and a shortage of direct care workers…