Governor Tony Evers has issued a bold ultimatum: if Republicans include language in the state budget mandating a return to in-office work for state employees, he will veto the entire budget. This uncompromising stance raises questions about leadership priorities and the long-term implications of allowing government offices to remain underutilized, wasting taxpayers’ money.
This came in response to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos who has publicly called for state employees to return to their offices, 4 years after COVID shutdown in March 2020. Vos frames the issue as one of accountability and fiscal responsibility. Vos argues that taxpayers expect their resources to be fully utilized and that empty office buildings do not align with that expectation.
The debate over remote work has been brewing since the pandemic shifted millions of workers, including Wisconsin’s state employees, out of offices and into home setups. While private-sector employers have largely moved toward hybrid or in-office arrangements, a significant portion of government workers continue to operate remotely. Reports indicate that many government buildings remain partially vacant, with Wisconsin being no exception.
A report by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB), released in December 2023, brought new scrutiny to the state’s remote work policies, revealing that the majority of office space across state agencies is rarely used.
The audit highlights that 26 state agencies collectively manage nearly 2.5 million square feet of office space. Yet, data from key card usage shows that employees averaged only 1.3 days in the office per week between January and early June of 2023. Alarmingly, 122 state employees assigned to four major office buildings didn’t use their key cards at all during this period.
The LAB didn’t rely solely on key card data. Auditors also conducted site visits to 15 state agency offices during July and August 2023, with inspections spread across multiple days of the week. Their findings confirmed significant underutilization:
- The Department of Safety and Professional Services left nearly 72% of workstations unused, despite ongoing licensing backlogs.
- The Department of Corrections headquarters saw over 75% of workstations unused.
- At the Department of Public Instruction, only 5.3% of workstations were in use.
- The Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board reported zero workstation usage.
Some agencies, like the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, fared better, with 34.5% of its workstations in use, but these examples were exceptions.
Gov. Tony Evers, however, remains a staunch defender of remote work. He argues that allowing employees to work from home has expanded the state’s hiring pool beyond Madison and Milwaukee, enabling the state to recruit from rural areas like Rhinelander. By threatening to veto the entire budget over this single issue, Governor Evers risks derailing negotiations on critical funding priorities, including education, infrastructure, and healthcare. Critics view his ultimatum as a politically motivated move that prioritizes union support over the state’s broader needs. For a governor who campaigned on collaboration, this brinkmanship is likely to fuel further division.
