Mayor Wilson tells City of Portland managers to make full-time return to workplace

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) —Mayor Keith Wilson is calling for 700 managers and supervisors with the City of Portland to make a full-time return to their worksites after years of being hybrid or remote.

The change, planned for April 2025, would mean that nearly 80% of all working hours for city workers will be performed in-person, according to the mayor’s office.

In a letter to the public on Tuesday, Wilson said that managers and supervisors set the tone and culture for the City of Portland, adding that “working face-to-face cultivates the collaboration, camaraderie and innovation our city deserves.”

This announcement comes one week after Mayor Wilson backtracked on a previous goal to have city employees who work remotely spend more time at the office — at least four days a week.

But Wilson’s request was met with immediate pushback as some union members said remote work is more efficient in some cases.

Since the pandemic, former Mayor Ted Wheeler has allowed employees to work partly remote. In January 2024, he called for them to work in the office 20 hours a week — about 2.5 days.

When Wilson stepped into office, he said he wanted to see all staff return. But after a week in office, Wilson said that “given the current budget constraints and our ongoing efforts to address unsheltered homelessness, the full return of staff to the office will not be feasible in 2025,” promising a revised strategy.

According to Wilson, his new strategy to bring managers back into the office “reflects the urgency of our work to end unsheltered homelessness and make Portland a safe, clean and welcoming place to live and work.”

Mayor Keith Wilson's full letter

City Managers and Supervisors,

Like workplaces all over the world, the City of Portland has grappled with balancing in-person and remote work. I am writing today with news about our next step: bringing all managers and supervisors back to their worksites full-time, beginning in April.

This shift applies to approximately 700 managers and supervisors who currently work hybrid or remote schedules. By coming back to your worksite full-time, you will join the majority of our workforce – about 3,500 people – who serve Portland with fully in-person roles.

I’m committed to a culture of excellence, and working face-to-face cultivates the collaboration, camaraderie and innovation our city deserves. It also reflects the urgency of our work to end unsheltered homelessness and make Portland a safe, clean and welcoming place to live and work. We are facing a crisis, and we need to act like it.

Over the past month, City leaders and staff have shared their perspectives about workplace models. Your input is well-heard, and I have carefully considered what’s best for our organization before making this decision.

As managers and supervisors, you set the tone and culture for staff across our City – thank you. I know you’ll do everything in your power to make this change a successful one. High-performing organizations across the nation have shown us it’s possible to bring people back together, while also remaining flexible. Under existing policy, in-person managers may continue to flex time to go to appointments or family commitments. Remote workdays remain an option, at your discretion, to accommodate travel or occasionally go heads-down on major work projects.

This news will undoubtedly raise questions about our long-term workplace policy for other employees who remain remote and hybrid. Employees who are designated hybrid will still be required to spend at least half their worktime doing in-person work. I do not anticipate making any further policy changes for non-managerial staff in 2025.

Within the next week, our Human Resources team will reach out with details about managers’ transition to fully in-person work. Thank you for your service to Portland and commitment to a Portland where every community member thrives.

Mayor Keith Wilson