State workers will be returning to smaller offices
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The thousands of state workers being called back into the office half of the time starting June 1 are likely to find increasingly tight workspaces.
Why it matters: Gov. Tim Walz's surprise return-to-office mandate is in stark contrast to his administration's 2023 plan, which assumed a largely remote workforce would allow the state to drastically reduce its office space.
What they're saying: "Almost every agency across the board has shed space following that (2023) plan," Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) president Megan Dayton told Axios. "There is absolutely zero plan, as far as we can tell, to reabsorb thousands of employees across agencies."
The other side: Walz said at a recent press conference that state agency managers have been "thinking about this for a while" and he believes there will be enough desks for everyone come June 1.
By the numbers: The 2023 strategic facilities plan calls on the state to reduce its space per employee, from 272 square feet to 175-200 square feet, which would allow for the elimination of 36% of its seats, largely by moving employees from leased buildings to ones it owns near the Capitol.
- The state's real estate adviser, CBRE, wrote that such a downsizing would put Minnesota in line with other states.
Yes, but: That plan was based upon an assumption that 42% of state office employees would work completely remotely while another 42% would work remotely 4+ days per week.
- That's significantly fewer people in the office than Walz's 50% mandate.
Case in point: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources currently leases 140,400 square feet in a building at 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul. Its lease expires in June 2026 and in its request for proposals for new office space, it said it was seeking about 100,000 square feet.
- The DNR is negotiating a lease with a landlord, but Department of Administration Julie Nelsen declined to say how many square feet it would occupy.
Dayton, the union head who also works for the Department of Administration, said her agency is telling people who already worked more than 50% of their time in the office that they can't anymore because there's not enough space.
- Nelsen denied that employees were told this.
What we're watching: If workers strike over the mandate. Dayton said MAPE is in bargaining with the state now and a strike cannot happen before 45 days of mediation and an expired contract. The current contract expires June 30.
- "A strike is definitely still on the table," she said.
Torey Van Oot contributed to this report.