Vermont state employees are required to return to the office three days a week starting December 1st. The move has sparked pushback from state employees with concerns about recruitment, retention and work-life balance.
"Our hope is that the administration will really reconsider this proposal and will work instead collaboratively with us to meet the needs of the taxpayer, but also to really meet the needs of the workforce that is so critical to delivering those services,” said Steve Howard, the executive director of the Vermont State Employees' Association.
The union represents more than 6,000 state employees. “With the ability to work remotely, we are able to both retain and attract employees," Howard said, adding that the state government has nearly 900 vacant positions.
In 2019, only about 7% of workers were fully remote. Then came the pandemic, and remote work became the norm in many sectors. "It was so ubiquitous," said Kristen Smith, a visiting associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth College.
In more recent years, differences have begun to emerge between those who can — or are able to — return to the office, and those who do not. A Bureau of Labor Statistics study released in June found that 29% of men worked remotely in 2024 compared to 36% of women.
Employers should take note of this disparity, Smith said.
“If remote work gets branded as a female, it could be associated with less reliability or less devotion to work,” Smith said. “It would take on sort of this 'mommy track' view, and remote jobs will be seen as being less committed, therefore passed up for promotion or recognition.”
In a memo to state employees, Secretary of Administration Sarah Clark said accommodations to the office work order will be available when deemed “reasonable and appropriate.”
The directors of the Agency of Administration and the Buildings and General Services department declined Vermont Edition's interview requests. Gov. Phil Scott’s office had not responded to a request by the time of the show.
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