State employees started trickling back into the office in recent weeks after more than a year of working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ohio Department of Administrative Services is encouraging agencies to follow the department's timeline, which involves a phase-in return to the office from July to September. However, agency timelines vary as agencies can choose when they want employees to return to the office. For example, the governor's office already brought back the majority of its employees Tuesday, whereas the Ohio Department of Transportation plans to bring its remote employees back in August.