In 2018, Utah started a pilot program to alleviate commuter costs and save money on expensive office spaces and construction. Over the past couple of years, Cox said, the state has been bringing more people back to the office.

Employees are required to be in the office at least two days per week, while supervisors must be there for at least three, according to reporting from the Deseret News.

During his monthly news conference, Cox said Utah was “ahead of the curve” and prepared to work from home when the pandemic hit.

In 2021, Cox issued an executive order that required state agencies to review whether or not work could be performed remotely. He outlined several benefits to remote work including improving air quality by avoiding 4,600 pounds of emissions, saving $13 million annually by having state agencies vacate 29 buildings over the next decade, and general quality of life improvements.

“We’ll continue to evaluate where it works, where it doesn’t,” he said Thursday. “We’re also looking at ways to save taxpayer money.”

One of the ways Utah has done that, Cox added, is by having shared workspaces and getting rid of expensive leases, which cost taxpayers money.

“Remote work has its place, but so does being together,” he said. “It’s not healthy to be isolated. We need that feedback, we need that interaction that comes … and being able to get in a room together and be able to talk and look at each other face to face … that matters.”

Cox said Utah needs to figure out how to save taxpayer money by using less space and how to ensure state employees, who are working on behalf of the taxpayers, are efficient and productive, while being given as many opportunities as possible.

“Parts of it are working and parts of it aren’t, and that’s what we’ll be addressing,” he said.

Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.