Wisconsin state employees may soon be required to return to in-person work under new legislation introduced by Rep. Amanda Nedweski (R-Pleasant Prairie) and Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee). Their bill, LRB 1552/2, would mandate that all state employees work from their physical offices by July 1, 2025, with exceptions for those whose job duties were performed off-site prior to March 2020.
Nedweski, chair of the Committee on Government Oversight, Accountability, and Transparency, argues that remote work has persisted for too long, negatively impacting state government efficiency. “Nearly five years removed from the pandemic, a significant number of state employees continue to work remotely while productivity diminishes and office buildings sit mostly empty,” she stated. “It is time for state employees to return to in-person work so they can do the job that Wisconsin’s hardworking taxpayers pay them to do.”
The bill was prompted in part by findings from the December 2023 Legislative Audit Bureau report, which examined telework practices across Wisconsin state agencies and the University of Wisconsin System. The report revealed that, on average, only 5.3% of workstations at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) were in use. Nedweski criticized this low attendance, emphasizing that DPI, the agency overseeing K-12 education, should reflect the same work expectations as Wisconsin’s teachers. “It is unconscionable to me that only about 5% of DPI’s employees are actually working in-person,” she said. “Wisconsin has thousands of dedicated and hardworking teachers in their classrooms five days a week. It is only right that the agency overseeing them is held to the same standard.”
The bill is currently circulating for co-sponsorship, and its progress in the legislature will be closely watched by state employees, taxpayers, and government accountability advocates.
Governor Tony Evers has drawn a clear line in the sand, stating he will not sign the next state budget if it includes a Republican-backed mandate requiring state employees to return to in-person work. In a recent interview on UPFRONT, Evers defended the current remote work policies, arguing that they have expanded hiring opportunities beyond Madison and Milwaukee, allowing the state to recruit talent from more rural areas like Rhinelander. He pushed back against Republican claims that remote work has led to inefficiencies, insisting that the system is functioning effectively.
Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos argue that too many state employees remain remote, citing a legislative audit that found some agencies had minimal office attendance. While the Department of Administration has noted potential cost savings from consolidating underused office spaces, Evers remains firm in his position that flexibility in work arrangements is key to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce across the state.
