State employees may be called back to the office

Three years after the pandemic began, many people are still working from home. Some lawmakers in Madison want to change that. Some private employers still allow their employees to work from home. I have many friends in many different professions who continue to do so. Some companies have even told their employees they must work from home, and have ended leases for the space they used to rent. But it’s the policies in play in the public sector that has lawmakers upset. They don’t like that a number of state agencies continue to allow their employees to work from home. A Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau report found a number of state employees are spending more time working from home than in the office. Critics of the policies argue that this shows massive waste on the part of state government, and state employees should be forced to return to work. But the same survey found those working from home tend to be more efficient, and more satisfied employees. If they are more efficient working from home, why make them return to the office? If state office buildings are vacant, perhaps some can be sold or consolidated. If they are more efficient working from home, perhaps some staff cuts are in order. The goal should be to have employees get their work done efficiently. It shouldn’t matter whether they do that from their home or from their office.