State government employees who work from home will have to return to the office, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday.

Sanders issued the new directive in a letter that ends the regular use of remote work and encourages workers employed by the state to hold meetings in person rather than over virtual teleconference. The policy change will take effect on Oct. 1.

"Five years ago, Covid-19 changed workplaces in Arkansas and around the world," Sanders wrote in the letter. "At the time, state leaders took measures to respond, but the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror. It's time to leave the inefficient policies implemented five years ago in the past, too."

The policy is part of Sanders' Arkansas Forward Initiative , which aims to improve efficiency in state government.

In her le

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