State agency employees back to working in person

State agency employees will have to work in-person for at least 50 percent of scheduled workdays starting June 1, DFL Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday.

Remote work spread widely during the COVID-19 pandemic to control the spread of the coronavirus. Some state employees have maintained that setup or work in a hybrid format.

But the governor’s office said about 60 percent of state employees already work in-person.

“This approach balances the flexibility of telework with the workplace advantages of being in office,” Walz said in a statement. “Having more state employees in the office means that collaboration can happen more quickly and state agencies can build strong organizational cultures more easily.”

An announcement from the governor’s office notes the policy change provides an exemption for employees who live more than 75 miles away from their primary work location.

The decision comes as St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has expressed concerns over lower traffic in the Capitol city’s restaurants and other businesses. The statement acknowledged that, saying the policy change “supports the economic vitality of office districts like downtown St. Paul, bringing foot traffic back to businesses and public spaces.”