The City of Oakland is ending its remote work program installed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and will now require government workers to come into their offices four days a week.
The Oaklandside reports that the new policy was contained in a memo by City Administrator Jestin Johnson and will go into effect for all city employees on April 7th. For much non-unionized staff, the new policy will go into effect on February 18th.
The city will continue to authorize remote work on a case-by-case basis. City Hall resumed in-person meetings two years ago.
Four years ago, the city government had lauded its remote work policy, touting “increased productivity,” the “recruitment and retention of highly qualified employees,” improved staff morale, and the more efficient use of resources.
KALW contacted Local 1021 of the Service Employees International Union — which represents most Oakland government workers — for comment. The union did not respond by air time.
There has been a recent shift against telecommuting. Axios reports several major companies, including Salesforce, have recently ended remote work arrangements or have announced plans to do so. And a number of cities, including San Francisco, are reviewing their remote work policies.
