Our Mission
This newsletter connects thousands of California workers who believe in telework, fairness, and the right to choose how we work.
In today’s newsletter, we will examine the broader story on commercial office space and peek behind the curtain of HR to show that RTO mandates are fragile, frivolous, and, ultimately, fleeting.
Keep the conversation alive. Remember to share our newsletter and keep the talk of telework front and center!
Quick Headlines
Conversions and Demolitions Reducing US Office Supply
This piece comes directly from the global commercial real estate firm, CBRE. For the first time in decades, more office space in the United States is being converted or demolished than is being constructed. Workers may be weathering an RTO whirlwind in the short term, but, long term, the market tells a different story.
HR Leaders Under Pressure to Mandate RTO
The HR software platform, Leapsome, released its 2025 HR Insights Report surveying 1,000 HR decision-makers throughout the US, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. 56% of HR workers surveyed shared that they are being directly pressured by CEOs to implement RTOs. 81% of those same HR respondents believe workplace flexibility and remote/hybrid arrangements boost worker productivity and overall effectiveness.
A Deeper Dive
While some governors and some large companies scramble to convince the workforce that mostly in-office work is the way forward, a new report from technology firm Cisco offers data-driven pushback. Cisco sought feedback from over 20,000 workers and leaders on hybrid/remote work trends. Their findings? Flexible work arrangements deliver serious results for all sides of an organization.
The study is extensive, but it is worth a skim. In the report, you’ll see some unfortunate news… that flexible work arrangements are on the decline due to RTO mandates. However, you’ll also see that these same mandates are dramatically affecting trust and retention within companies. Further, the report highlights that the largest productivity gains in the economy are coming from businesses adopting fully flexible work policies.
These conclusions might seem obvious to our subscribers, but they invite a deeper question: who gets to decide what matters most when it comes to how and where we work? We can always talk about productivity gains, but reducing the experience of work merely to its outputs does a disservice to the bigger picture.
We should absolutely be talking about trust in the workplace. We should absolutely be talking about autonomy in the workplace. The CA Telework Alliance champions these values that make our work not only more productive, but ultimately more fulfilling.
Tales from the Office
The other day, I was in the office trying to focus on a Teams meeting. I had my headset on and was doing my best to concentrate.
Then my cubicle neighbor started her own Teams meeting. She was speaking so loudly that I could hear every word through my headset. Every time I tried to talk, her voice echoed in the background. It felt like we were both attending the same meeting on two different screens.
At one point, I even answered a question that wasn’t meant for me. A few desks away, someone else was sharing their weekend recap at full volume.
By the end of the day, I had listened to more meetings and conversations than I could count. It reminded me that working from home is the only place where I can actually hear myself think.
Share Your Story
Your experience matters. Tell us how telework has impacted your life. We will highlight select stories on catelework.org to inform the public and lawmakers.
Stay Connected
Join the conversation, stay informed, and organize with fellow state workers.
Final Note
We have until July 2026 to drive real change. Stay united, stay loud, and fight for our freedom to work on our own terms.