Want to work from home in SC? New policy restricts government employees.

South Carolina employees across all government agencies will have to follow new remote work policies after Gov. Henry McMaster filed an executive order Thursday.

New employees and executive staff will be barred from working remotely, according to a news release. Additionally, approved employees can work remotely two days a week, at most.

“The law requires these policies be designed to achieve cost savings and greater efficiencies in the operation of state government,” McMaster said in a news release. “They are not designed to suit a desired lifestyle or a personal preference.”

The goal is to ensure the government works efficiently while also providing flexibility to employees, according to the executive order.

Previously, state agencies made the rules for remote work. The new rules create more uniform work-from-home policies across South Carolina government agencies.

Before allowing employees to work remotely, agencies will have to establish a telecommuting policy that is approved by the state’s human resources department. The state HR department can also revoke an agency’s ability to work remotely if the policy is not followed or if it negatively impacts quality.

Employees must work for a state agency for a year before they can work remotely. Agency directors and directors who report to them can’t telecommute. Additionally, employees with an unsatisfactory performance review must work in person.

For employees that are approved to work remotely, they can telecommute two days a week. Those days cannot be Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday or Friday followed by the next Monday.

State employees who worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 were called back to work in March 2021.

This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 1:10 PM.