Remote pushback

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s mandate that state employees return to the office full-time starting in January is putting a bright spotlight on the issue of working remotely, as well as a growing difference of opinion on worker’s rights.
Pillen has made it clear that he does not believe in working from home, issuing a Nov. 13 order that public servants “have a duty” to be in the office Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., adding that he believes face-to-face engagement results in greater efficiency.
He is correct in that claim. The workforce landscape has changed dramatically since COVID-19, but the pandemic is over and the fact remains that some but not all jobs require a physical presence. As governor, Pillen is trying to send that clear message, and as expected he is getting major pushback.
The Nebraska Association of Public Employees responded with a survey which reported that 1,400 of the union’s 1,800 state employees indicate they are considering leaving state government over Pillen’s order. Nearly 90 percent of those reportedly said they would stay if Pillen rescinded the order, which is not going to happen.
There is considerable gray area in this argument, as Pillen’s order allows state agency executives to grant exceptions to state employees who work outside normal business hours and to workers who move away from their original office location, assuming there isn’t another reasonable in-office arrangement available. In addition, exceptions may be granted when an agency’s building is at full capacity or when a department head determines an exception necessary to sustain critical operations in a business area with a workforce shortfall. That assessment is subject to Pillen’s approval.
Therein lies the challenge, as an exploding percentage of today’s workforce believes their goal of better work/life balance trumps the business owner’s (or in this case the state’s) business model and/or philosophy. The pandemic pushed that line way too far and it needs to be moved back. 
What is clear is that those workers have better leverage now in a state with 1.3 percent unemployment and an alarming workforce shortage. Pillen’s point remains valid, however, in that there is value and often increased efficiency in working from a traditional office setting, as opposed to remotely from the comforts of home. 
-- Kurt Johnson