
Ending Remote Work for State Employees?
Clip: Season 3 Episode 179 | 3m 17sVideo has Closed Captions
Members of the KY General Assembly debate ending remote work for state employees.
It's a debate we're seeing on the federal level: the pros and cons of government employees working from home. But should state employees be required to return to the office? Some members of the Kentucky General Assembly talk about that and other issues on "Kentucky Tonight."
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Kentucky Edition is a local public television program presented by KET

Ending Remote Work for State Employees?
Clip: Season 3 Episode 179 | 3m 17sVideo has Closed Captions
It's a debate we're seeing on the federal level: the pros and cons of government employees working from home. But should state employees be required to return to the office? Some members of the Kentucky General Assembly talk about that and other issues on "Kentucky Tonight."
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It's a debate were saying on the federal level right now, the pros and cons of government workers working from home but should state workers be required to go back to the office?
Some members of the Kentucky General Assembly talked about that last night on KET Kentucky tonight.
Here's part of that conversation.
>> Who's coming to the office work, especially in our state government we're going to have.
More production.
For full gains for the commonwealth.
When everybody can get back to work.
No remote work on the post to it.
I would love to see our beautiful buildings that are in Frankfort and throughout the state filled again with those employees getting to work.
But but to this point, if they're getting to work, the wages that we just need to be there as well.
But but if they're not willing to come to work, but those that have the ability to work in their office in to collaborate with their colleagues, especially in the state government.
They need to be there.
I think there's more value in that.
But that doesn't that's not on a one size fits all.
Issued by the company's skin can be a little bit more flexible to do what they want.
If they feel like they're being productive in doing so.
>> There is healthy disagreement within our caucus on a lot of issues.
And this is one of those issues.
I don't believe that a move away from it.
>> From remote work is in the best interest of my constituents because currently, you know, a lot of state employees are focused in the Frankfort area.
So if you want to work in state government, you've got to move to Frankfort for a lot of the jobs.
Remote work has made it to where people in funding and can work for a Frankfort.
I understand we do need to look at productivity in those workers, I'm hesitant to say that we need to completely shift from that we've seen a lot of good come out of through the shifts that we've seen since COVID with the remote work.
And I believe that we can tap into some pallet in the state government that perhaps you wouldn't otherwise if we only allowed to be people within commuting distance, Frankfort.
>> I think really my managerial style has always been as long as the work is getting done.
Doesn't really matter where.
At and I was one who worked in an office.
40 plus hours a week until the pandemic head.
And then I started working from home and I might not have worked.
40 consecutive hours are 8 consecutive hours a day or it far more than 8 hours a day.
And that would be up until 2 o'clock in the morning after having done NTI with my kids, which saw another conversation.
I but I still got the job done and it didn't matter and that every meeting that I was supposed to go to.
>> Our guest last night, we're all freshmen members of the Kentucky House and Senate.
And you can hear their conversations about the income tax, diversity, equity and inclusion, the possible tariff impact on Kentuckyian so much more.
It's all online on demand at KET DOT Org Slash K Y
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