California shut down the office that tracks telework in state service. But data from two previously unreleased surveys obtained by The Sacramento Bee reveal new insights about departments’ and agencies’ stances on remote work and return-to-office.

More than 110 departments participated in the two statewide surveys, which were conducted in July 2023 and December 2023 by the now-defunct Telework Compliance Office within the Department of General Services. Respondents were asked questions such as, “Has your department’s telework program affected your required office space?” and “Has your department’s ability to retain and recruit employees changed as a result of implementing telework?”

The Bee verified the data’s authenticity with a source who had seen the information before, but who feared retaliation from their employer if identified by name.

Three agencies made headlines earlier this year with public calls to return state workers to the office: the California Environmental Protection Agency, the California Health and Human Services Agency and the Employment Development Department.

But the month before announcing the new two-day in-office rules, these departments highly praised the benefits of remote work in an internal survey conducted by the DGS’ telework office.

At least in early December, CalEPA, CalHHS and EDD did not indicate that were planning to issue a two-day in-office order. By the next month, something changed.

Here’s how the departments responded to the question, “Will the department’s working arrangements change or stay the same based on the review? Please describe.”

CalHHS: “The working arrangements for CalHHS will remain the same for the foreseeable future to allow for continued workplace flexibility, to provide work/life balance for employees, to be a competitive employer, and for recruitment and retention purposes.”

EDD: “The EDD plans for working arrangements to stay the same but may adjust based on operational needs. Increased in-office work would likely affect current employee retention and the ability to entice new talent.”

CalEPA: “We have seen that continuing to provide telework/hybrid work as an option has proven to be an efficient and effective way to conduct business, support worker retention and recruitment efforts, and has not negatively impacted operations. Based on our initial telework assessment and review of operations, eligible employees who meet criteria established through our telework policy and whose positions can be performed remotely will continue to do so. However, per our telework policy, CalEPA management and staff understand that they can and may be asked to come into the office for work purposes, as needed.”

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