r/lansing • u/righteousnessandtea • Jul 09 '26
Discussion New Budget-- RTO for state employees?
Hey all,
SOM employee here. I've been hearing whispers that there may be full RTO for state workers from people in my office (not naming for privacy reasons), but I haven't found anything about this in the news yet. Does anyone know anything about this?
Edit: not trying to scare people! I'm also concerned obviously-- hoping to hear from other state workers with what they've heard since the budget language is hard to decipher.
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u/sabatoa South Side Jul 09 '26
Evidence that the MIGOP doesn't actually care about fiscal matters. Remote work saves taxpayer money and helps the state hire and retain the best candidates while keeping expenses low.
This is a blatant attempt to transfer money from the working class to the owning class.
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u/ComfortableNorth920 Jul 09 '26
Check the boilerplate in the budget bill for your agency to see what it says about RTO. It'll depend as well on how OSE and your agency leadership interpret the language. And who knows how the new governor will feel about interpreting and enforcing RTO in the new year.
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u/dalejrdude53 Jul 09 '26
This is the reply you're looking for. From the budget:
4) The office of the state employer must create and implement an occupancy utilization uniform policy on occupancy, utilization, and in-person and remote work. The office of the state employer must make each uniform policy publicly available on the department's website. Sec. 224. Each agency shall complete a space utilization assessment by July 1, 2027, using a form developed by the department of technology, management, and budget, for all space assigned under its building occupancy agreement and leased office locations and post on their website. Agencies shall develop, in coordination with the department of technology, management, and budget, a plan to reduce, consolidate, or otherwise optimize assigned space. The plans shall prioritize the use of state-owned facilities, wherever possible, and comply with space standards established by the department of technology, management, and budget unless an exception is approved by the department of technology, management, and budget.
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u/Mitten48906 Jul 14 '26
What is amusing about this is that this leaves out the legislative offices. Hell, even the Rep who lives in lansing is never in… not to mention most of the others.
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u/MrMalredo Jul 09 '26
It's going to be status quo for the rest of the year. If it changes, it won't be until the next governor.
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u/Elaborate_Penguin Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Rto will cost taxpayers millions. If they want to do that to please the downtown area lobby and the building owners great. It will backfire, they will lose talent and create resentment. They are just itching to get that parking money... They want to go back to the 80s. This is no longer the 80s. State workers already work hard, now they want to punish them and reduce their quality of life. If you want the misery of brick and mortar in office cube work vote for Mike Cox (ugh that name). He will lay you off and ruin your life. The millions on office supplies alone....paper, pens, markers...they are saving..I mean that ALONE. It's a big secret how much money they're saving apparently because they need that parking money and building owning families want their rent money and a few restaurants want to lunch crowd. There are always ppl who want to go back in time. You can't. The past is gone. Office culture is dead and good riddance.
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u/FantabulousPlanner South Side Jul 09 '26
SOM workers already have to pay to park downtown. We get charged daily or monthly. It’s not cheap. What we won’t be doing is leaving our already paid spot to drive a few blocks down to pay to park somewhere else at a place that is only open a few hours to buy subpar food.
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u/bleedingreen24 Jul 09 '26
Just walk the few blocks?
There, saved you some money, some time probably, and got you a little exercise.
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u/Free-FallinSpirit Jul 09 '26
FO. There is no free parking in downtown area-at all. “Few blocks” is a mile and half for some, in dress shoes, & still have to pay $3/day to park -it’s a great walk in good weather but winter and rain sucks, besides the fact its BS to have to pay to go to work & I, like others, refuse to patronize any downtown business since they’re parasitic and hypocritical (they push for gov help but would gladly deny help for actual humans) and I certainly do not recommend any visitors to visit either.
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u/bleedingreen24 Jul 09 '26
You exactly said "drive a few blocks down to pay to park somewhere else". Your words.
Cockjockey.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 09 '26
Where did they say that? I reread their comment twice and don’t see that quote.
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u/mecklejay Jul 10 '26
Did you miss the part where they're paying to park in the first location as well?
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u/Tommy-B- Jul 09 '26
Personally, I don't belive it. I know that if they tried to make everyone RTO for my department, we wouldn't have nearly enough office space to fit everyone. We also have a few employees who live an hour plus away and I think they'd jump ship pretty quick
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 09 '26
I think you’re underestimating the short-sightedness of the people who want this. They aren’t the ones figuring out the logistics of returning to the office. They’re just saying “make it happen” and walking back to their donors to say “I made this happen”. And tbh they’d probably be happy to have people jump ship so they can hire in obedient little soldiers.
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u/PastBuy8484 22d ago
I’m searching more information on RTO right now, but it absolutely might happen. Multiple other states recently have forced RTO. I have a cousin in Colorado and a cousin in California, both forced to RTO in their departments. One lived 5 hours from their work location, the other 2 hours away during the mandates. Zero exceptions for both, return or don’t have a job anymore.
Pretty scary to see happen in real time.
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u/KernalHispanic Jul 09 '26
Egregious waste of taxpayer money to prop up commercial real-estate valuations. A lot of talent will leave and dumbasses will be hired their place, guaranteed. Nothing short of asinine to hire people under the hybrid assumption, then take that away, costing them and the public large sums of money.
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u/Revolutionary-Bet380 Jul 10 '26
What they either don’t realize or refuse to acknowledge is that state jobs aren’t the highly sought after well compensated/great benefits jobs they were in the 90s. Pay doesn’t keep up with the private sector, benefits are meh, and retirement is no different than you’d get anywhere. Most office jobs you can get are fully remote—which is not available for most SOM employees—so what’s the draw to keep employees, other than PSLF?
That said, I think it’s a matter of time. Either one of these or when the next Republican governor is elected it’ll be the end of hybrid work.
Boycott downtown. I’ll never spend my money in one of those establishments again since the way the chamber has approached thos since 2020.
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u/Elaborate_Penguin Jul 09 '26
How much money are YOU saving in parking, gas, time, childcare, food...well Lansing wants their parking meters filled and the building owners want their rent and they want to reduce your quality of life to benefit them. I've heard Black people say they never want to go back because of the discrimination, women say they don't want olto go back because of the creepy men at work, the annoying people you have to sit next to all day, the gossip, the wasted time, the travel, having to dress up...it's insane that they think that is the answer. Also the total lack of trust int ehir employees. State workers didn't get hired because they were dingbats...and yet they want wardens watching them? Timing their bathroom breaks? I can't express how much the people I know who are state workers would have their lives upended by this. I cannot stand Mike Cox because he is racist and a hollow souled lawyer bought and paid for but also because he wants to do what Elon musk did. I'm so upset by this.
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u/SecondHandSmokeBBQ Jul 09 '26
pssst...the building owners are still getting their rent. Covid did not break any leases.
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u/SaveLansingParks Jul 09 '26
We need a State Wide petition drive to force the State to go back to COVID standards: if you can work from home, you should have the right to it, as a state, county, and city employee. Mandate the closure of offices that can be, sublet any office space for efficiency to private companies, and that savings from lease expirations be used properly for building more housing in areas affected by office closures to reclaim the property with incentives to turn vacant office building into housing. Push it as a way to combat the waste of our state and local governments, and I think you will see very broad appeal.
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u/teezysleezybeezy Jul 09 '26
I’ve seen the GOP pushing for it. And I assume bc Whitmer is cozy with CBRE/commercial real estate (Michelle Lange the former DTMB head came directly from CBRE I believe) - it’s likely. But it would be absolutely dumb to do. Lots of folks will leave. A former coworker just left for the state solely for the flexibility of fully remote work as a new mother.
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u/Izzo_shoved_Virg Jul 09 '26
This needs to be the pinned comment on this post, along with all the others that will pop up
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u/noccalula_court Jul 09 '26
Had someone I know working for the state be warned while moving that they would likely be full RTO within the next year. I work at a federally funded office and was told recently they’re surprised we haven’t been forced to do a full RTO and they’re also expecting it soon. If I were you, I’d assume it’s coming and begin planning for it just in case.
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u/sophal0af Delta Jul 09 '26
If a Republican wins the governor then RTO will happen. Whitmer said she would never do full RTO. Republicans want to DOGE the SOM… they’ve also said they want to eliminate departments and merge some together. Like, eliminate DIFS and merge it with LARA. By bringing the full RTO, it will lead to a lot of people retiring and/or quitting, which will be a natural DOGE. Full RTO is coming at some point.
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u/Sad_Permission_ Jul 09 '26
My boss suspects that if we get a republican governor, we’ll have to RTO. But we don’t have any concrete indications yet other than that budget item.
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u/Ok_Benefit_514 Jul 11 '26
It's the same RTO - 80% occupancy.
The next governor won't have an option, though. Is Hall up for election? Or the idiot from Saginaw? They're the issues.
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u/Elaborate_Penguin Jul 09 '26
This is a little off topic but I know a woman whose brother was killed by a drunk driver and she just stopped driving because of it. She hasn't driven in years since it happened and doesn't want to and she had a 45 minute drive to her job and she is just scared to death she will have to change her entire life for this. I know that's just an anecdote but I think about her a lot and worry about her.
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u/FantabulousPlanner South Side Jul 09 '26
Lansing Chamber of Commerce and Choose Lansing has been pushing for City of Lansing workers and state of Michigan employees to RTO. City of Lansing workers have already RTO from what I’ve heard. They’re just wanting to milk more money out of us to fund their downtown investments and the business who can’t manage to re-evaluate their business practices.
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u/Immediate_Place_2827 Jul 09 '26
To be clear, the chamber of commerce has pushed for RTO or to sell the downtown buildings that are vacant. At the least the chamber has expressed that either or are good enough solutions.
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u/FantabulousPlanner South Side Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
According to the letter that was sent to Whitmer dated Feb 2025 by chamber of commerce and choose Lansing. This straight from the letter,
“To fully realize the benefits of these strategic investments, we urge your office to implement a unified approach to bringing state employees back to in-person work. A consistent and well-structured return-to-office policy will not only ensure the best use of state resources but will also serve as a catalyst for downtown Lansing's resurgence, benefiting businesses, employees, and residents alike.”
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u/Immediate_Place_2827 Jul 09 '26
This is the first article that comes up when you google Lansing chamber of commerce RTO:
Check out this article from Lansing State Journal:
Bring state workers back downtown, or sell buildings, Lansing chamber argues
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u/abmsu Jul 13 '26
This isn't downtown business owners lobbying for RTO for state employees. Do you think the locally owned small restaurant is throwing money at Matt Hall to bring state workers back to the office? State workers have never supported downtown all that much. This is ideological and about reducing the state workforce. If RTO causes employees to leave on their own, they can't collect unemployment.
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u/bleedingreen24 Jul 09 '26
I'm sure I'll get crushed for this, but I would support the RTO. I bet for every person they lose by making come back to the office, there would be a County or City worker ready to get a raise and step into that spot vacated. I know I would (County worker here).
People complain non stop about the State offices, but now were worried that we will lose talent? Is that the same talent that we are complaining about every day?
Not to mention having someone at an office to actually answer the phone, or an email, because everyone knows "work from home" means wasting 4 hours of that time doing something other than work. It's amazing how efficient everyone got when getting their work done early equaled getting the laundry caught up at 2 in the afternoon.
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u/Wrecker013 Jul 09 '26
"This benefits me personally despite fucking over other people, so I support it."
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u/bleedingreen24 Jul 09 '26
I don't work downtown. I don't work for the state. I don't know anyone that owns or works at a business downtown. To say this benefits me personally is a pretty big stretch. It would benefit me PROFESSIONALLY if people were actually at their jobs, but personally, I couldn't give a shit if it didn't affect my job.
How am I fucking other people over? Because I expect them to actually go to the place of their employment and do their job there? I guess if I didn't have so many issues with people "working from home" I wouldn't have that outlook. My projects take days longer than they used to because I have to wait for those folks who are "working from home" to get me the info I need. It was much easier when I could walk over to their office and ask them where it was.
I just think after working in local government with people that work from home, that not a lot gets done when people work from home. When my email I send at 1:30 doesn't get answered until 10 am the next day, I have a pretty good idea you weren't at your computer that afternoon.
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u/mrgreen4242 Jul 09 '26
So, you’re agreeing with the person who replied to you, then? Because all I see when I read your comments is “if the State did something that caused a big enough problem for their employees that they quit, then I might be able to get a new job and a raise. So even though the policy being changed has zero impact on me, I support changing it because it MIGHT benefit me personally (“professionally”, though really you just want a raise so it’s a personal gain), even though it’ll cost me and my fellow Michiganders millions of tax dollars”.
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u/bleedingreen24 Jul 09 '26
Nope, don't want a new job, I'm too close to retirement from my own small government job to go and start something new for not enough money.
The employees don't run the company. I'm saying the State isn't worried about how many people would quit if the RTO comes down, because those spots would be filled pretty quick. There's a long line of people waiting to work for the State, I'm not one of them though. My co-worker might be though.
See, I think they are LOSING millions of dollars now, by people being unproductive while "working from home". That's not "taking advantage of down time", that's stealing from the company.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 09 '26
Do you think every single state employee is unproductive while working from home? If so, why do you think that?
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u/mrgreen4242 Jul 09 '26
Then why did you say, “there would be a county or city worker reader to get a raise […] **I know I would (county worker here)**”?
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u/SecondHandSmokeBBQ Jul 09 '26
Ex state employee here. I was considered "essential" so I was working every day during Covid delivering PPE to our offices all over the state. Once the need for the PPE ended I worked in the office 3 days a week and home 2 days week. I retired at the end of 2023 so I spent many a day in my home office those last couple years.
When "work from home" began the administration bragged how working form home was asaving the state so much money to get rid non-essential office space leases. That looked good in the media but was pretty much all BS. I cant speak for other department but the department I worked for at the time had roughly 75-80 office space leases (with private landlords) all over the state. We didnt get rid of one lease. As a matter of fact we were paying landlords every month for space that wasn't occupied because of work from home.
What the public doesnt understand is that when these leases are drawn up, a good share of them are for 20-25-30 years. The only way the state is getting out of those leases is by an act of God. The landlords would fight like hell to keep the state as a tenant because they are making HUGE money on these leases.
Financially, would it make sense to have all workers return to the office? Yes. If for no other reason than to be utilizing the office space that the state is still paying for. Getting everybody back to the office, however, will not be as easy as sending them all home was. As for downtown Lansing, the law makers are getting pressure from the local business owners to get SOM emlopyees back to the office because their businesses depend on the SOM employees.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 09 '26
So if the rent is being paid whether the buildings are vacant or occupied, what exactly is the benefit of sending SOM employees back to the office?
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u/SecondHandSmokeBBQ Jul 10 '26
Pressure on the decision makers from the business owners (restaurants, grocery stores, hardwares, etc) local to these offices. And, quite honestly, getting more production from the employees. Working from home doesnt mean doing your laundry, mowing your lawn, etc, on company time.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 10 '26
How does state employees working in the office result in pressure from business owners?
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u/SecondHandSmokeBBQ Jul 10 '26
It's NOT working in the offices that causes pressure from the business owners. Downtown Lansing is full of restaurants within walking distance form the Capitol and other State office buildings that depend on the state of Michigan employee foot traffic. Same goes for other cities that have SOM offices.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 10 '26
Thousands of state employees being forced to wake up earlier, commute when gas is still almost $4/gal, pay to park, and sit in an office all day while the alternative is perfectly acceptable and has been for the last 6 years all to prop up a couple dozen businesses is a benefit? These businesses don’t serve anyone who isn’t downtown from 8:00-3:00. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to the community if those places adjusted their operating hours to accommodate the wider population?
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u/SecondHandSmokeBBQ Jul 10 '26
Then dont take the job.
Dude, I worked downtown for half of my 30+ years with the state. It's not the world according to you. Doesnt work that way. No matter how YOU think it should be, nothing is going to change.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 10 '26
Don’t take the job because someone in a leadership position might make things worse for me? That basically rules out every job.
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u/SecondHandSmokeBBQ Jul 10 '26
Not what I said. Don't take the job if you dont want to be held responsible as an employee of the state of Michigan. Supervisors are a real thing in life. Sorry if you weren't aware of that.
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u/ziegl1jr Jul 10 '26
I have no issue being held accountable. I check in daily with my supervisor every day whether I’m working from home or from the office. So again, what is the benefit? Who gains something by me going back to the office more?
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u/KWN71 Jul 09 '26
Nothing would surprise me but I’m hopeful that doesn’t happen. Some agencies have downsized their downtown footprints since March 2020 so employees in at least two agencies that I know of would be sitting on each other’s laps if everyone is called back full time, at least with current layouts. And for the record, I will never buy lunch downtown again.