California is bringing most state employees back to the office for 4 days a week this summer
California is requiring all state employees to come into offices four days a week starting July 1.
California is requiring most state employees to come into the office at least four days a week starting July 1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said on Monday that the state employs 224,000 full-time workers and that over half have returned to daily in-office work.
“When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases,” Newson said in a statement.
The announcement said telework would be granted on a case-by-case basis, including for employees who do not live near their offices.
The order follows a White House mandate to return federal workers to the office full time. President Donald Trump signed the return-to-office mandate during his first hours in office.
Changes are also being rolled out on the state level. Some states, including Ohio and Oklahoma, require their employees to work in person, ending pandemic-era telework policies.
Similarly, companies including Amazon, JPMorgan, and Salesforce have required their employees to return to in-person work.
California’s order has gained criticism from one of the largest public sector unions in the country.
On Monday, SEIU Local 1000 called Newsom’s decision “out of touch, unnecessary, and a step backward” and asked him to “reverse this reckless decision.”
“Forcing workers back into the office hits them financially,” the union, which said it represents 96,000 people employed by California, wrote in a statement. “Many will face higher costs for gas, parking, and commuting — expenses that telework helped avoid.”
The order reverses Newsom’s outlook and policies toward remote work. During the pandemic and until the end of 2023, his administration encouraged remote work for California government employees. It also gave individual agencies within the government autonomy over remote or hybrid work policies. Newsom has been pushing for in-person work since April 2024.
Newsom also asked state human resources to streamline the hiring of former federal workers who want jobs in areas such as firefighting, weather forecasting, natural resource management, and medical and mental healthcare. Mass layoffs and employee buyouts across US government agencies led by Elon Musk’s DOGE have left thousands of federal employees unemployed.
President Donald Trump and Musk have said the moves are meant to improve productivity and slash federal spending.
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from B-17.
