Govt. Stitt signs order requiring full-time state employees to return to office by 2025, ending telecommuting

On By Littum

Full-time employees of government agencies are required to return to office work environments by February 1, 2025, according to a new executive order.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued Executive Order 2024-29 on Wednesday requiring state employees to return to the office.

“Covid changed the way we did business for a period of time, but that time has passed. Now we need to make stewardship of taxpayer dollars our top priority,” Governor Stitt said in a statement. “Oklahomans deserve a government , which operates with full accountability and delivers services efficiently. Returning to traditional work environments is a critical step in achieving this goal.”

Here are the key provisions of the executive order, according to Governor Stitt’s office:

  1. Deadline for Return to Office: All full-time state employees are required to perform their duties at their assigned office, facility, or field site by February 1, 2025.
  2. Limited exceptions: Agency managers may approve exceptions for: Employees with non-standard working hours (eg evenings, weekends, holidays), roles where in-office employment is considered unreasonable and agencies facing office space constraints that would require additional expenditure to accommodate employees.
  3. Transparency and Accountability: Agencies using exemptions must report details to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), including employee job descriptions and expected return dates. Quarterly reports on external or hybrid workforce composition will be submitted to OMES beginning March 31, 2025.

Stitt said this aligns with his administration’s efforts to ensure transparency while optimizing the efficiency of public services.

“It’s time for our government to fully return to the workplace,” said Rick Rose, the state’s COO and OMES director. “By bringing state employees back to their offices, we reaffirm our commitment to providing the best and most efficient service possible to the people of Oklahoma.”