Mayor Ends Working from Home for City Employees
HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire is bringing city employees back into the office full time starting Feb. 1, rescinding the city’s administrative policy that let municipal employees work partially from home. The announcement was sent out Wednesday to all department directors, according to KHOU11.
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Come Feb. 1, all city employees will have to return to their assigned offices full time, unless special permission is granted for other accommodations. Whitmire believes this move is in the city’s best interest, citing collaboration between coworkers to achieve success. He also hopes it leads to a more efficient, high-functioning city government to serve the people of Houston.
“The best way to serve the public is to work together in the office, enhancing collaboration and making the City of Houston more effective as we tackle significant challenges,” Whitmire said.
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“My administration looks forward to the return of all city employees to the office,” Whitmire said. “We are committed to working together to eliminate waste, fraud, duplication, and corruption to align with my vision and priorities to serve Houstonians.”
The policy was originally put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing employees to work safely from home. This move affects around 1,600 of the city’s 22,000 employees.
