LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce is trying to end the remote work policies for the state of Michigan employees put in place during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 shutdowns starting in 2020.

“Going on 6 years.”

Steven D. Japinga, senior vice president for public affairs for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a Facebook post, “Going on 6 years of being tired on this issue. He continued, “If the state isn’t bringing their workers back into the office then they need to say that and work with the community to redevelopment state buildings and state parking lots into things that will add value to the city center and for the residents of Lansing,” Japinga said.

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Japinga stated that each of the state of Michigan departments has its own policies on in-person work.

“I’m told some departments it’s 3 days a week in the office and some that it’s one day a month in the office (And I’ve heard folks complain about going in for that one day!)” Japinga said.

When contacted by Michigan News Source, Japinga said his post was based on what he had been told by people who knew state of Michigan employees.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Remote workers by the numbers.

The state released a report on remote workers in 2023 and covered the 2022 calendar year. The report showed 19 departments with a total of 23,710 people who worked remotely at some point. The state of Michigan had 46,432 workers in 2022.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) had the most at 6,975. The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) had the second highest at 2,237.

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But even the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) had 1,880 employees and the Michigan State Police had 1,522 employees working remotely at some level.

The state budget addresses remote work.

The 2025-26 state budget contained this language in regards to remote work:

“The department shall maximize utilization of its in-person state workforce. The department shall prioritize occupancy utilization of office space for each division within the department. Employees with job responsibilities that require the employees to serve in their capacities outside of an office shall be monitored each pay period to ensure all work hours reported on the timesheet were actually worked.”

In addition, “The department shall comply with requirements set forth by the office of the state employer on in-person work and utilization and occupancy rates of state buildings to ensure in-person work is optimized and occupancy rates are 80% or higher, subject to market conditions.”