California state workers react to Newsom’s return-to-office order: ‘How does this help us?’
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday announcement that state employees would be back in offices four days a week, starting this summer, caught many off guard — but surprised few.
“We all collectively smelled the blood in the water,” said Jeremy Bruce.
The IT specialist for the Department of Insurance said after the governor told employees to return to offices partially last year, it was only a matter of time before this new directive was handed down.
The frustration and disappointment with Newsom’s decision was palpable on public forums and as some state workers left their offices Monday. Public employees had come to love hybrid work and quality-of-life benefits it awarded: switching a load of laundry between meetings, completing work tasks free from office distractions, spending more time with their young children.
On the California state worker Reddit page, a sort of online water cooler for public employees across the state, a post with a screenshot announcing the end to current telework policies received nearly 1,000 comments by the end of the day. “There it is,” read the caption.
State workers said the decision, which Newsom said was to improve collaboration and mentorship among colleagues, undercuts the progress the state has made to adapt a hybrid work environment, which many said is more productive than working primarily from the office.
On Monday evening, within hours of learning of the directive, some state workers called the order stupid and unfortunate. They said they had come to rely on telework and planned to look for other jobs, or would need to change parenting plans.
Others said they were never allowed to work from home so the order didn’t change their schedules.
A loss in benefits
In Newsom’s message to state employees explaining his rationale, he said working in person would foster better relationships with colleagues. But state workers like David Haug who already are in offices twice a week aren’t convinced two more days in person would present substantial opportunities to connect with colleagues.
Haug, who is an analyst with the Fish and Game Commission, said working remotely has allowed him to build relationships with colleagues in every corner of the state. Without telework, Haug said he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know and work with those people.
Haug said Newsom did not articulate how state workers have underperformed with remote work, nor did he set goals for productivity when employees return to largely in-person work.
“The evidence simply isn’t there to compel this change, and Newsom’s office doesn’t even seem to be pretending it is,” Haug said.
Workers lamented how working from offices four days a week would increase their daily costs associated with driving and parking downtown. It would take away valuable time that would be spent commuting.
Jay Reid, a structural design technician with the California Department of Transportation, said his entirely computer-based position is well suited to working remotely.
The new in-person requirement will reduce the amount of time he can spend with his family.
When everything shifted to remote work in 2020, there were initial hiccups transitioning to the communication platform Microsoft Teams, Reid said. But eventually everyone adapted to working online, which he said was a more effective way for him and his team to work together.
“I don’t think it has any benefit to the state of California,” Reid said.
Bruce echoed similar concerns about the productivity of in-person work now that many departments have adapted to internet-based operations.
Additionally, Bruce questioned the governor’s commitment to reducing the state’s carbon emissions with this decision. With fewer employees commuting by car, Bruce said, the state was reducing emissions and traffic on California roads.
“How does this help us?” Bruce asked.
‘Outdated policies’
Unions, pressured by their members, called on Newsom to reverse his decision and asserted that hybrid work conditions have proved effective.
SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls said in a statement that workers are already struggling with the high cost of gas and housing. A push to nearly full-time, in-person work will make things harder for public employees.
“California is the tech capital of the world, yet our own state government is clinging to outdated policies instead of embracing the modern workplace,” said Walls. “Major industries have recognized that hybrid work attracts talent, improves efficiency, and saves money — so why is our state government moving backward?”
Assemblymember Josh Hoover represents constituents who commute from Folsom to downtown Sacramento to work for the state.
After Newsom directed state employees to return to offices two days a week last year, the Republican requested an audit, “questioning the rationale, timing, legality and costs associated with the decision to rescind telework privileges for state employees.”
In a Monday statement, Hoover echoed unions’ claims that Newsom has made California a less competitive employer by revoking a popular benefit for employees.
“His decision limits flexibility for state agencies to implement policies based on department needs and places an ongoing burden on taxpayers who are currently paying $600 million per year to maintain state office buildings,” Hoover said.
At the very least, the Assembly member said, the governor should wait to enact the new telework policy until the State Auditor’s findings — which is slated to be complete this summer — are public.
Haug, with the Fish and Wildlife Commission, expressed confusion over the telework decision when considering Newsom’s previous stance on government operations. In his 2013 book “Citizenville,” which he wrote while serving as California’s lieutenant governor, Newsom makes the case that governments aren’t using modern technology to its full potential.
“It perplexes me why he is going back on such a premise now,” Haug said, “especially when the benefits of remote-centered hybrid work clearly outweigh the costs.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM with the headline "California state workers react to Newsom’s return-to-office order: ‘How does this help us?’."
