OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — State employees will soon have to return to in-person offices for work, according to Governor Kevin Stitt.
The Executive Order 2024-29 Stitt signed directs state agencies to return full-time employees to in-office work environments by February 1, 2025.
According to Gov. Stitt, the decision ensures efficient government operations and accountability to taxpayers, while cutting the need for further COVID-19 pandemic accommodations.
However, not everyone sees it that way.
"As a state legislator who's interested in getting the best and brightest to work for the state, knowing that we have pretty steep competition in the private sector, I think that this is just a counterintuitive move," said State Representative Forrest Bennett, D-OKC.
One state employee spoke with News 4, but she wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.
She tells us her office is in Oklahoma City, but she lives in Tulsa. When hired, she was promised she'd only have to make the trip once a week.
"Now knowing that potentially I will have to spend four hours a day in my car going to work and coming back from work and spending less time with my infant daughter and husband is devastating, to say the least," said the state employee.
Not only does she fear the impact of work-life balance, but also finances.
"Gas is expensive, the tolls are going up and it's reasonable for me to work from home because of my position, so I was pretty shocked that it was you have to be back in the office within the next 30 days, basically," said the state employee.
She says this decision, coming out right before the holidays, makes it even harder.
If an exception is not made, she says she will consider quitting.
According to the executive order, there are limited exceptions for those with non-standard work hours, jobs where in-office work is deemed unreasonable and agencies with not enough office space, which is another concern being discussed.
"We've downsized, so currently there's four people sharing my office right now and I know in my old office room there are currently 12 people sharing an office, so how is that feasible at all? In my mind, it's not right," said the state employee.
Gov. Stitt says office space constraints that would require additional expenditures to accommodate employees would be an exception.
Agency executives are the ones who will approve exceptions, and then they must be reported to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).
News 4 reached out to OMES asking how many employees are currently working from home, and received this response:
Yesterday, OMES was directed by the executive order to create a new report that details workforce information from all state agencies. However, that report will be compiled once the transition to in-office work is complete. At that time, each agency will implement their own agreements with their respective staff and provide that information to OMES. OMES continues to work closely with agency partners to ensure Oklahomans are receiving efficient services that serve them at locations across Oklahoma.
The Governor’s Office issued the executive order and is the appropriate office to further inquiries.
Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES)
The Governor's Office did not respond to us.
Read the Executive Order here.
