Governor Jim Pillen ordered all of Nebraska´s state employees who have continued working remotely since the COVID pandemic to return to the workplace.
He issued an Executive Order this afternoon. The EO outlined specific circumstances in which remote work may be authorized by agency heads.
“Nebraskans are back to work, and they expect that our agencies are fully staffed and open for business Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,” said Gov. Pillen. “As public servants, we have a duty to meet that expectation, and deliver maximum value to the taxpayers.”
This executive order will go into effect January 2nd, 2024.
The specific circumstances in which remote work may still be allowed are:
- Public servants whose regularly assigned work hours are outside of the normal M-F, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours.
- Public servants who move away from their original office duty location and for whom reasonable in-office arrangement is possible. This exception is not available to public servants who move outside of Nebraska.
- Agencies at full building occupancy, where new office space would have to be acquired at additional cost.
- When agency heads determine that an exception is necessary to sustain critical operations in a business area with a workforce shortfall. Such determination is subject to the approval of the Governor.
- Any other exception or circumstances imposed by law.
According to the EO, any exception made for a public servant must be on an individual basis and approved by the agency head.