INDIANAPOLIS — The State of Indiana employs roughly 32,000 workers and about one-third of them have been permitted to work at least part-time from home in the aftermath of the 2020 COVID pandemic. Come July 1, Governor Mike Braun wants almost all of them back in the office. “Hoosiers expect their elected leaders to promptly restore the public servant workforce to its pre-pandemic status,” reads Executive Order 25-16, signed on Braun’s first full day in office this week. “A return to in-person work will strengthen collaboration, oversight and direct engagement, maximizing the effectiveness of the State of Indiana’s civil service workforce.” The Order directs State planners to find workspace for those employees whose office leases may have expired over the last five years as agencies downsized their footprints. Statehouse insiders told FOX59/CBS4 they fear that a lack of available workspace combined with stagnant employee paychecks following a year with no raises and new report-to-the-office directives that rollback original hiring agreements or increase household expenses will lead to resignations as employees may seek more lucrative and flexible positions in the private sector, especially in the I-T field. The transitional takeover with the replacement of agency heads, reorganized office management and influx of new employees without defined roles leads to even more confusion within the State government. Governor Braun told reporters that attrition is one way to streamline the Indiana government and bring down costs. ”Whenever you’re running any enterprise, if you have too many people doing something that can be done by fewer, a lot of times that is solved through attrition,” said Braun during what he promised would be the first of regularly scheduled briefings with the press. ”In some cases, you’ll need fewer people. In some cases, you’ll need more. In general, I can tell you that this place is probably not running as efficiently as even lower levels of government, especially the worlds of business, commerce and so forth.” State democrats fear that Braun's directives scrapping diversity and inclusion mandates as well as the back-to-office order, combined with a lack of raises, will make it harder for the State to attract and retain the best employees. “Now we’re gonna roll back remote work as an option, I don’t see those pieces rolled together attracting and retaining top talent in the Hoosier state,” said Senator Andrea Hunley of Indianapolis. “Working from home, it doesn’t have to be 40 hours a week but working from home is one way you can continue to attract that workforce,” said Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder. “We have a childcare shortage in this state, working from home is one way that Hoosiers can piece it together to care for their families and also be an amazing public servant to the state. That Executive Order was another disappointing one because I know that many state employees see that as a way that they can both be exceptional in the workplace and also care for their families.” At the Lincoln Square Pancake House across North Capitol Avenue from the Statehouse, waitresses Heather Biggerstaff and Alix Tucher look forward to the return of more State employees to the office. ”We have a lot of regulars who come over here from across the street,” said Biggerstaff. ”When the Statehouse workers are here we definitely have a lot more people, a lot more regular people that come daily, so, when they’re in session, they come eat,” said Tucher. “I definitely want them to come back in their offices. It brings more people downtown, more people to eat, more people in the city, which is better.” The governor’s mid-summer back-to-work order means there will be more State employees back in the office and the booths at Lincoln Square will stay full even after lawmakers go home in April. “Are State workers good tippers?” FOX59/CSB4's Russ McQuaid asked Tucher.  “Yeah,” she said with a big smile. “Of course, yep.” To view the message sent to state employees by the Indiana State Personnel Department, click here.