I have no sympathy for state workers complaining about going back to work | Opinion

Five days a week, I commute 20 miles one-way from Placer County to midtown Sacramento to do a job I love. It’s not perfect, but the work-life balance, interesting work, professional opportunities and compensation made the long commute and the office experience worth it.

I cannot be any less sympathetic to state workers campaigning against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s return-to-office order. The governor’s directive that state workers must come into the office four days a week — up from two days a week — is an overdue adjustment to a COVID-era policy.

These state workers submitted op-eds. They funded a billboard along I-80 displaying a sinister Newsom and sensational arguments about the cost to taxpayers and the environment. They even filed a labor complaint.

With each action, they seem increasingly incapable of accepting life not only as it is for most people, but also as it was for themselves just a few years ago.

Sending emails on the couch is awesome, as is Zooming while be-robed with the camera off (or with the camera on in a dress shirt and tie atop mesh shorts). But the party is over. Everyone must return to the office.

Maybe I should be more sympathetic. Right after my second kid was born I started a new job in a high-demand agency downtown. It was a great job, but I couldn’t do it well and also honor my commitment to my family. I ended up quitting, which was inconvenient, but also the best choice for me at that time.

I couldn’t expect my employer to bend to my needs, and I couldn’t continue disappointing my family. I had to choose.

Don’t get me wrong, telework is its own job perk. It eliminates commutes, gives freedom to live in more affordable communities, offers more time to tend to household tasks, saves money and can make some people more productive.

But telework makes it harder to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, as Newsom argued, and it makes some people less accountable and can be a management nightmare.

Those are the sensible arguments. But there are some absurd arguments as well. Newsom argued that having state workers return to the office is good for surrounding businesses. That’s true, but who cares? Supporting the sandwich shop next door isn’t in my job description.

On the flip side, state workers resisting in-person work because it hurts the planet is silly. Move closer or buy an electric vehicle if that’s what you value.

It’s also silly for state workers, who have competitive salaries and very generous benefits, to lament the cost to taxpayers. I’m happy to provide many suggestions on how they can save taxpayers money if they’re so interested.

And they shouldn’t complain that work takes them away from home because of course it does — it’s work, not home.

At its core, the debate boils down to the concept of free will. My boss is allowed to set the terms of my employment and I’m allowed to agree or find a new job. Of course, my boss’s requests should be reasonable, and what’s reasonable is often subjective, but having to show up in person on time is as routine as it gets.

Who knows? Maybe this whole thing is part of a bigger discussion. Maybe Newsom needs telework as a bargaining chip in a larger negotiation. This would make sense with a lot of difficult budget decisions being made.

But telework is not a right. Anyone who lives two hours from their desk is free to move closer. Anyone worried about the negative effects of in-person work on their home life can always adjust their expectations or find a new job.

State workers took jobs that are largely rewarding, pay well and are packed with amazing benefits. Many did so pre-COVID, when coming to the office was standard. Others might have started more recently but should never have assumed a COVID-era policy would live in perpetuity. This shouldn’t be surprising.

Sit in traffic with the rest of us. You’ll live.

This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 6:00 AM.