Hundreds of Virginia employees from five state agencies have resigned since Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) called for a return to in-person work after more than two years of working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 5, Youngkin announced a new policy requiring all state workers to begin working in-person full-time by July 5, and records obtained by 8News show more than 300 employees have resigned since the change was announced.
“Unfortunately we’re not surprised by this information,” Virginia Governmental Employees Association lobbyist Dylan Bishop told WRIC. “We had anticipated that the shift in policy would result in an exodus of workers, which is really concerning because of the state’s recruitment and retention issues.”
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When announcing the new policy, Youngkin said it would “balance the demands of government services with the needs of our public servants.”
“The governor is excited to welcome the Commonwealth’s workforce back in person and is encouraged by their continued dedication to serving Virginians,” Rob Damschen, Youngkin’s deputy communications director, said in a statement. “We know an office-centric environment fosters collaboration and teamwork and provides an even greater level of service for all Virginians.”
Virginia’s Department of Transportation suffered the greatest loss of employees, losing 183 in total, 28 of whom cited “telework options” as the reason for leaving, the report said. The Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Employment Commission, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Department of Emergency Management also lost employees.
A VGAE survey of 400 state employees last month showed that 50% of respondents were concerned with high gas prices, while 25% noted child care as a reason for resisting the return to in-person work.
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Employees are allowed to submit requests to work remotely for part of the week. The requests will be approved by an agency head, cabinet secretary, or Youngkin’s chief of staff, Jeff Goettman, depending on the number of days requested.
