Five years post-pandemic, Governor Kevin Stitt is calling on state agencies to bring employees back into the office and resume in-person work. The state’s new COO is renewing that call, saying “Collaboration, innovation, and accountability cannot be achieved when we work in isolation.”
Governor Kevin Stitt’s return-to-office executive order:
In December, Governor Kevin Stitt issued Executive Order 2024-29, which said in part, “State agencies shall require all full-time employees to perform their work in the office, facility, or field location assigned by their agency, and not from a remote location by February 1, 2025.”
The order gave exemptions, including:
- Agency employees whose work hours are outside normal business hours,
- Agency employees for whom no reasonable in-office employment is possible,
- An agency is at full office capacity, and new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost.
Any exception to the order would need the approval of a cabinet secretary.
This also ordered state agencies to begin self-reporting their return-to-work numbers to the Executive Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services beginning March 31, 2025. It states “The report shall include a list of exceptions approved by the agency director under subparagraph 2 of this Executive Order, and a brief explanation as to why the exception is applicable.”
OMES Quarterly Report 1:
Reporting Breakdown as of April 1st:
- Number of full-time employees in the state: 31,614
- Number of full-time employees included in Q1 reporting: 25,898
- Number of full-time employees not included in Q1 reporting: 5,816
Exception Breakdown as of March 31st:
- Number of employees reported to be working under one of the limited exceptions to the schedule and location requirements of the EO: 7,919
Breakdown of excepted employees by percentage and exception:
- Work hours are outside normal business hours (e.g., evenings, weekends or holidays): 2.6%
- No reasonable in-office employment is possible: 8.3%
- Agency is at full office capacity; new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost: 89.1%
OMES Quarterly Report 2:
Reporting Breakdown as of August 1st:
- Number of full-time employees in the state: 31,797
- Number of full-time employees included in Q1 reporting: 29,250
- Number of full-time employees not included in Q1 reporting: 2,547
Exception Breakdown as of August 1st:
- Number of employees reported to be working under one of the limited exceptions to the schedule and location requirements of the EO: 8,590
Breakdown of excepted employees by percentage and exception:
- Work hours are outside normal business hours (e.g., evenings, weekends or holidays): 14.47%
- No reasonable in-office employment is possible: 14.85%
- Agency is at full office capacity; new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost: 70.68%
Why are state employees not returning to the office?
Overwhelmingly, the main reason in both quarterly reports submitted by OMES is that state workers are exempt from in-office work because “agency is at full office capacity; new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost.”
“The most basic hurdle is that for many employees there is no longer an office location to return to. Where do you return when you no longer have an office to return to?” questioned Rep. Andy Fugate, (D) OKC.
During the pandemic, many state agencies leased or sold office space that was not being occupied by state employees.
“Those brick and mortar buildings don’t exist any longer, so where do those employees come back to? If every employee were actually required to come back to the office it would cost an extraordinary amount of money because we’ll have to go back and lease new space, buy new buildings etc,” said Rep. Fugate.
Renewed push from state’s COO to return to office:
The new Oklahoma Chief Operating Officer, David Ostrowe, sent a letter to state employees this week, one of his first moves in his new role.
The letter read in part, “Collaboration, innovation, and accountability cannot be achieved when we work in isolation. Oklahomans deserve a government that is present, engaged, and working together in person — just as we expect from teachers, troopers, and other public servants across the state.”
It went on to say, “Effective immediately, all state employees are required to return to their designated office locations full-time. Any exceptions must be formally approved by a Cabinet Secretary.”
Finally, the email read, “Refusal to comply with this directive will result in termination.”
