Minnesota is revising its return-to-office policy for state employees, reducing the distance workers must live from their office in order to be exempt from in-person requirements.

New guidance issued to workers this week said employees who live more than 50 miles away from their primary office can continue to telework. Previously, the exemption was for employees who lived more than 75 miles from their office.

Gov. Tim Walz announced in March that much of the state workforce will have to start reporting to the office at least 50% of scheduled workdays starting June 1.

The new policy affects state agencies that have hybrid policies giving employees flexibility on which days they are in the office.

State government is Minnesota's second-largest employer with a workforce of about 40,000 people. Many employees switched to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the governor's office estimates 60% of the workforce continued to work in-person throughout the pandemic.

The move surprised state worker unions, which said many employees who have been hired since the pandemic were promised the option to work fully remote. Others are struggling to find child care and make other adjustments on short notice, according to the unions.

This week's change is not a significant one, said Megan Dayton, president of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, which represents some 18,000 state workers.

"We view this as a cosmetic adjustment to an inherently flawed policy that continues to disrupt state operations, require unnecessary costs, and destabilize the workforce without addressing any clear operational need," Dayton said in a statement to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Dayton declined to comment in detail, citing ongoing contract negotiations. But the statement said the union would "continue to advocate for a telework policy that reflects modern workforce realities and respects the expertise and needs of public employees."

The state's return to office push comes at the same time as many workplaces are shifting to requiring in-person workdays. The federal government asked workers to return to the office five days a week, and major Minnesota companies such as 3M in Maplewood, U.S. Bank in downtown Minneapolis and General Mills in Golden Valley all have in-person requirements.

The governor's office argued that having employees back in St. Paul could be a boost for the city's struggling downtown. Mayor Melvin Carter called St. Paul's city employees to return to their offices at least three days per week.

The 50-mile exception is determined based on the shortest road distance measured door to door between the employee's home and their main office, according to the new guidance.

Agencies are working toward having plans in place by May 1 to bring workers back into the office.