Philly city workers say the offices they returned to are crowded and dirty: ‘It’s soul sucking’

When Philadelphia city workers returned to the office full time last week under a new mandate, they were greeted with perks like discounted lunches and free Crabfries.

What they didn’t get, some say, was a desk.

That’s according to about a dozen city workers, both unionized and not, who spoke to The Inquirer about how the transition to full-time, in-office work played out last week under Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s new policy. Aside from union leaders, the workers requested anonymity to freely discuss the situation — the Mayor’s Office has said employees should not make statements to the press without authorization.

The workers, who represented nine departments, described an at-times chaotic transition process for those who had been working from home several days a week, particularly with regard to physical space. In some offices where employees had previously staggered the days they came into the office, there weren’t enough desks for everyone, resulting in jammed spaces and employees working from conference rooms or storage areas.

Even before the global technology outage Friday, there were periodic interruptions with internet connectivity and some workspaces weren’t properly wired.

And some employees described dirty offices, including “sticky” desks and ongoing indoor construction. One employee shared photos of piles of dust among cubicles; another photographed what appeared to be animal droppings. The employees said the conditions last week were not necessarily new, but that it contributed to a feeling that the Parker administration was not ready for thousands of employees to return to work full time.

“It’s kind of a double slap in the face,” said one employee who is not represented by a union. “You made us come back in the first place, and then you weren’t even prepared for us to come back.”

Camille Duchaussee, the chief administrative officer in the Parker administration, said in an interview that the administration made adjustments in real-time last week when employees notified supervisors of issues with crowding or cleanliness, and that it would continue to do so.

She said the administration welcomes feedback from city workers.

“This is not a one-day process. It’s ongoing,” Duchaussee said. “And we will continue in the direction of creating an enjoyable work experience or an experience that is informed by our employees, even if we don’t agree on the location.

Still, the accounts from city employees underscore the degree to which some city workers who got used to working from home two or three days a week oppose Parker’s mandate. The mayor announced the policy in May as a way to bolster economic activity in Center City and achieve equity for thousands of municipal employees who can’t work remotely.

She is the only big-city mayor in the Northeast requiring employees to work in-person five days a week.

Most of the city’s 25,000 employees were already working in an office or on site full time prior to last week. The mandate impacted about 20% of the city’s workforce, who were largely operating in a hybrid manner and working from home one to three days a week.

» READ MORE: Other Northeast U.S. cities have brought municipal workers back to the office. Just not every day like Philly.

Parker’s administration has stood firmly by the mandate. Just days before workers were required to return last week, the city prevailed in court over AFSCME District Council 47, the union that represents thousands of white-collar municipal employees. The union’s lawsuit over the policy claimed the city should have negotiated it with labor officials.

But rank-and-file employees said most hybrid employees opposed the mandate when it was announced, and some now feel demoralized upon returning to offices they perceived to be inadequately prepared.

One employee who works in a Center City office said the HVAC system broke twice last week when temperatures were above 90 degrees.

“It feels like years and years and years of neglect and no attempt to address that,” the employee said.

Union leaders said they’ve received a variety of complaints about space, and they worry that low morale could contribute to a wave of resignations and early retirements, especially to private sector corporations that might offer more hybrid flexibility or updated offices. The city is already in the midst of a yearslong staffing crisis that has impacted departments across the municipal government and left nearly 1 in 4 jobs vacant.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia is spending a record amount on overtime as city jobs sit vacant

Greg Boulware, the new president of AFSCME District Council 33, which represents about 1,600 workers affected by the mandate, said complaints are centered around two of the largest city office buildings: the Municipal Services Building across from City Hall on John F. Kennedy Boulevard and the One Parkway building at 1515 Arch St.

He said some offices were still under active construction when employees arrived last week and were not conducive to working.

“It doesn’t do a lot in the way of morale for our people,” Boulware said. “It’s something the city severely undervalues. …The city should be responsible for creating a better working environment for its people.”

Duchaussee said that while she didn’t personally see any offices that weren’t up to standard, she acknowledged that she would have liked to have seen “heightened cleaning work” and said the administration is committed to addressing issues as they arise.

For workers The Inquirer spoke to, the sense of overcrowding was the most pressing concern.

“Everywhere you go, it’s just jammed with people,” said one employee who works in a Center City building. They said some offices designed for one person are now being used by three.

Duchausee said there is adequate space for all employees, but acknowledged some were working around tables or did not have individual desks.

“Is there space that meets everyone’s expectation? I think that’s a matter of perspective,” she said. “Nobody was in a situation where they weren’t safe. But to the extent that we can close the gap between our employees’ expectation and the space provided, those adjustments will be made.”

Employees expressed concerns about space prior to last week. During a City Council hearing about the policy last month, administration officials said some offices were converted into storage during the pandemic and that the city’s Department of Public Property was working to identify new office space.

Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who has generally aligned with Parker on key initiatives, told administration officials that she’d visited “a lot” of offices that were already in poor condition.

“Let’s accept that some of our spaces need to be updated,” Lozada said. “If we’re not ready … then let’s bring [employees] back in phases.”

» READ MORE: Philly City Council members call Mayor Parker’s return-to-office plan ‘problematic’

David Wilson, president of Local 2187 of D.C. 47, said there’s a misconception that employees would return to the same desk they left in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic. But he said some offices were reconfigured so employees would share desks and stagger the days they were in the office, meaning some offices had fewer desks than they needed to accommodate everyone.

“People are sort of in disarray,” Wilson said. “There’s still construction going on as they’re trying to put up walls and get things put together. It was just a really, really chaotic scene with regard to the physical state of the office.”

April Gigetts, president of D.C. 47, said the union has received reports of people considering resigning or retiring early, but that those are largely anecdotal. She said they intend to track how many people leave city work in the coming weeks and months.

One employee, who is not represented by a union, said morale is low and colleagues are openly talking about seeking jobs elsewhere.

“Miserable. It’s soul sucking,” the person said. “We feel like it’s been a lifetime and it’s only been five days.”