"Returning" to the Office

When I started at DHS as a Contracts Attorney, I planned to never leave.

I transferred from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). DCYF was created less than a year ago primarily by combining programs that lived at DHS, the Minnesota Department of Education, and the Department of Public Safety. At DHS, the only day I was in the office was the day of my onboarding, which was only to pick up my computer and get connected to the network. Since transferring to DCYF, I've gone to the office twice for in-person meetings. It was not required. When I started my career, I planned to telework.

Last week, Governor Tim Walz announced that most state agency employees must return to work in the office starting June 1, 2025. By "announced" I mean he sent employees an email at 4:17 p.m. I don't know anyone who knew this was coming before that email.

I structured my career at DHS/DCYF and my life around telework. After I started at DHS, I purchased furniture, video conferencing equipment, and even my home with an office space for productive work. My career informs my transportation and vehicle ownership, my shopping and meal prep, and most of my budget.

I live with mental illness, including Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and ADHD. They are diagnosed conditions, and I take several medications for them. Telework allows me to tailor my work environment to meet those needs. After years of work, including over a decade with the State of Minnesota, I know that I am more productive now than I ever was in the office. I don't need to store a supply of medicine at the office or risk not having what I need on hand. I can manage my mental illness in private. It doesn't affect my work, and if I never mentioned it, no one would know.

I did not ask to transfer to DCYF, I was told. I was the only Contracts Attorney that transferred, and I'm the only Contracts Attorney in DCYF's Office of Grants and Contracts (until a just-posted position is filled), which means I'm the only one in the entire agency. I work with the best people. They show me a lot of grace as I carry my work for the agency. And they are the most dedicated coworkers I've had.

I don't know what Governor Walz means when he says work in the office "is about maintaining good stewardship of state resources."* But I'm demoralized by the implication that the State of Minnesota is getting any less from me because I telework. I deliberately returned to the public sector. I know what I gave up as an attorney in the private sector. I give Minnesota the best I can as the only Contracts Attorney in a brand new agency. This the most challenging moment of my career. But it's also the most rewarding. I have never felt so valued.

Without any idea it was coming, that email at 4:17 in the afternoon was a blow in stark contrast to my lived experience in this career. Is this challenge for nothing? Are my feelings of accomplishment and value to my colleagues empty? Is their hard work, where I see the risk of burnout every day, also for nothing?

When I started at DHS as a Contracts Attorney, I planned to never leave.

Did I make a mistake?

*It pains me to read this:

The governor’s office said having more employees in downtown St. Paul would provide the city with a needed economic boost.

“This policy change supports the economic vitality of office districts like downtown St. Paul, bringing foot traffic back to businesses and public spaces,” the governor’s office said.

Our work location, and our lives, shouldn't be disrupted so we can subsidize businesses that don't provide services a teleworkforce needs.