Some state lawmakers want to force state
employees to work in state office buildings.
But where should they all go?
In legislation passed by the State
Assembly, state employees may be required
to return to working in the office.
I'm Steven Potter, a reporter
with PBS Wisconsin News.
The details of this
so-called “Return to Work” bill
are that
if a state employee was stationed
in an office prior to the Covid pandemic,
their remote or work
from home arrangements would end
and they would be sent back to work in an office
at least 80% of the time.
The bill's
author says that some employees
may be eligible
for remote work in the future,
but that should be decided individually
and be based on worker productivity.
A major concern for ending remote work
for state employees is finding office space.
Since the pandemic began,
many state agencies have scaled back
their need for physical office space
and some state buildings
are even being put up for sale.
Wisconsin's largest state agency,
the Department of Administration, says
that as much as
75% of their staff work remotely,
and renting new office space
may cost as much as $12 million per year.
While this bill already passed the Assembly,
it's still up for debate in the State Senate,
which isn't back in session until October.
If it passes the Senate,
then it's up to the governor
whether or not to sign it into law.
For more on this,
and to find out what's next
for this legislation,
find my story about it at pbswisconsin.org.