California lets thousands of state employees work from home for another year

Under a new agreement negotiated by their workers union, thousands of California state government employees will not be expected to return to office for another year.

The agreement, announced Sunday, affects nearly 100,000 state workers in California who were expected to return to office at least four days a week beginning Tuesday.

“Departmental return to office notices and updated policies tied to Executive Order N-22-25 issued on or after March 3, 2025 are hereby rescinded without further action,” the new agreement reads.

It adds that if the new return-to-office date of July 1, 2026 is delayed again, the union, Service Employees International Union Local 1000, will meet with the state to discuss the extension, but no earlier than next March.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order last March ordering the return to office. The California Department of Human Resources issued guidance shortly after, outlining limited exceptions to employees who lived 50 miles or more from their office or who worked at agencies where allowing staff to work from home would have compromised day-to-day operations.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced much of the public and private workforces to telework, some states have adopted a hybrid work model, with employees only required to be in-person a few days of the week. In 2022, Connecticut struck an agreement with its public-sector unions allowing employees to work from home up to 80% of the time, with agency approval.

Some state and local governments have ended work-from-home allowances altogether. Philadelphia city employees were required last year to return full-time to working in the office, ending the city’s the remote work policy, which had been in place since June 2021.