Dear Editor,
As a former state employee, now retired, I’m concerned about Gov. Phil Scott’s return-to-office policy. I have family and friends in Washington, D.C. who were directly affected by the federal return-to-office mandate. It didn’t go well: people showed up to worksites that didn’t have enough offices, cubicles, desks, places to plug in their computers, so on and so forth. Have these factors been worked out on the state level, so employees can be as effective in an office as they are while working at home? If people need to share desks or cubicles, the required 3 days in the office complicates space availability. Will employees get to choose which days they work, or be assigned?
For people who live out of state and work remotely — I understand they will be given more time to comply. Even with that, moving back is no easy proposition — not everyone can afford to move — and is unworkable for many families. Adding to the burden, homes here are hard to find, especially with rising market prices. Importantly, who are these workers? What special skills and experience will be lost if we lose them? I suspect many will be difficult (and expensive) to replace.
And finally, what is the estimate for the cost of bringing everyone back to offices? Our workforce has been doing excellent work under tough conditions. We need leadership to listen to concerns of staff and reassess this plan.
Susan Schoenfeld
South Burlington
