Ohio Senate wants state workers in the office 4 days a week

State employees could be spending more time in the Rhodes Tower and Riffe Center in downtown Columbus, along with other state office buildings, if Senate Republicans have their way.

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‘You do more work, you do more effective work when you’re physically present at your workplace,’ Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman says.
State Rep. Jay Edwards says remote work saves taxpayer money. Says he plans to fight plan to have workers return.
If Senate plan approved by the House and Gov. DeWine, it would take effect Oct. 1 for most employees.

Senate Republicans want to send state employees back to the office at least four days per week.

The proposed change would prohibit most state employees from working at home for more than eight hours in a work week. There are limited exceptions for judicial employees and those with accommodations under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. It would not apply to state university or college employees.

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“You do more work, you do more effective work when you’re physically present at your workplace,” Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told reporters last week. That’s particularly important for state workers interacting with legislators, Huffman said. “In-person meetings are almost always more effective with the complexity of the issues that we deal with.”

But Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, says remote work saves taxpayers money on renting office space, helps attract qualified candidates and allows people to work outside of city centers.

“I plan to fight against it. I think it’s a bad provision and I think it’s something we’ve got to get fixed,” Edwards said.

Research from Owl Labs on remote, hybrid and office work found 62% of workers feel more productive when working remotely. Two-thirds of workers said they would start looking for another job immediately if they lost the ability to work from home, according to the 2022 survey.

The proposed in-person work schedule was added to a Senate-passed version of the state’s two-year budget. The final budget, which will include input from House legislators, is due June 30. Gov. Mike DeWine can then veto ideas he doesn’t like.

“Do we want to have most people back working (in the office)? Well, sure,” DeWine said. “But it’s a case-by-case situation and we are an employer. We have an obligation to hire the best people we can, fill the positions and to get the job done. We have to have some flexibility to do that, just like any other company.”

DeWine added that to compete for the best workers, the state might need to allow them to work from home or live outside of the city centers. “That may be the only way we’re able to fill a particular position.”

How many state employees work remotely?

It’s not clear how many state employees work in the office four days a week currently. Each department sets its own policies based on the work required. Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio prison guards, for example, report to in-person work more than information technology professionals.

In March, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services got the green light to discontinue six leases, saving the state $1.3 million, according to the Department of Administrative Services.

At the Ohio Department of Development, 83% of staff work in the office two or more days per week. Starting Sept. 12, the department is phasing in a return to the office for all employees, a spokeswoman said.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told employees that he would “stay involved” and point out any unforeseen consequences, according to a video sent to staff.

“I understand that this is going to, if it were to become law, create a lot of complications. Many of you have children or aging parents or family members that are sick and this is going to impact, it’s going to complicate your life if it becomes law,” Yost said in the video.

If approved by the House and DeWine, the change would take effect on Oct. 1 for most employees.

Another Senate-approved change would increase the number of weeks that state employees can take paid parental leave from the current four to eight. The first two weeks would be paid at 100% and the next six at 70%. However, the number of weeks is a decrease from what DeWine proposed: 12 weeks of paid leave at 70%.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.