City of Chicago return to office policy4 days a week.
Under the City's amended Telework Policy (effective Jan 5, 2026), eligible non-represented employees, and represented employees whose unions agreed to it, may telework at most one pre-approved day a week, plus up to 10 extra telework days a year with department approval. The City is not obligated to approve any telework.
Days in the office
- Policy
- Hybrid
- In effect since
- January 5, 2026
- Announced
- Not known
- Industry
- Government
- Headquarters
- Chicago, IL
- Checked
- Confirmed October 2026
What the policy says.
- Eligibility: enough work for a full scheduled telework day, suitable equipment and a safe workspace, and at least 90 days of active City employment.
- Department heads must keep enough staff in the office each business day. Teleworkers must be reachable all day and submit a daily telework certificate listing the work they completed.
- Represented employees are covered only where their union agreed to the policy (e.g., a memorandum of agreement with AFSCME Council 31).
- The Department of Public Health used the policy's emergency section to allow telework on Jan 23, 2026 because of extreme cold.
How City of Chicago's policy changed since 2020.
March 16, 2020
Temporary citywide COVID-19 telework policy took effect.
2023
The AFSCME contract applied the City's telework policy to selected AFSCME employees and set up a committee to study telework.
2025
The City's Budget Office said the Telecommute Policy remained in place, with thousands of employees working remotely one day a week (CBS Chicago).
January 5, 2026
Amended Telework Policy took effect: 1 day/week cap plus 10 additional days per year.
Sources and how sure we are.
ConfirmedFrom the company, or reported the same way by several major outlets.The 4 days shown is a five-day week minus the one-day weekly telework cap, and applies only to eligible staff; frontline jobs are fully on site. It is unclear what the January 2026 amendment changed from the earlier policy.
- 1.City of Chicago Telework Policy (effective January 5, 2026) City of Chicago, January 5, 2026
- 2.Telework Policy for COVID-19 Outbreak (effective March 16, 2020) City of Chicago, March 16, 2020
- 3.With City of Chicago hiring freeze, what about executive-level jobs in Mayor's office? CBS Chicago, 2025
Days a week are for most US corporate employees; some teams, roles and countries differ. Spot something out of date? Email hello@forgot.dev.
Other government employers, side by side.
- State of Ohio (state employees)5 days a week, since March 20255
- US Federal Government (civilian workforce)5 days a week, since January 20255
- State of California (state workers)4 days a week, since July 20264
- City of New York3 days a week, since June 20233
- City of Los Angeles2 days a week2
- State of Arizona (state employees)Each team decidesTeam decides
- State of Florida (state employees)Each team decidesTeam decides
- State of New York (state workforce)Each team decidesTeam decides
Working to an office rule? Plan the days that matter.
The hybrid work schedule template builds a week of office days for your team: anchor days everyone shares, the rest spread so the office never overflows. Then Forgot keeps office days, remote days and vacations on one calendar, so nobody commutes in for a planning day half the team is away for.
Questions
Does City of Chicago require employees to return to the office?
Yes. Under the City's amended Telework Policy (effective Jan 5, 2026), eligible non-represented employees, and represented employees whose unions agreed to it, may telework at most one pre-approved day a week, plus up to 10 extra telework days a year with department approval. The City is not obligated to approve any telework.
How many days a week does City of Chicago require in the office?
4 days a week in the office, as of October 2026.
When did City of Chicago's current office policy start?
It took effect in January 2026.
What was the latest change to City of Chicago's office policy?
January 2026: Amended Telework Policy took effect: 1 day/week cap plus 10 additional days per year.