D.C. government workers head back to their official workplace Monday morning. Employees were greeted with balloons, free food, Pilates and other perks that city leaders hope will ease the transition. Mayor Muriel Bowser had a “Welcome Back” celebration at the Department of Employment Services. “I have one big important message for everyone: D.C. is open,” Bowser told the crowd. She called it a big day for District government “because we are welcoming the entire workforce.” Bowser thanked the DOES, adding that the agency has put out $2 billion in benefits. “And as we recover, we’re going to be asked to do even more to make sure that not only folks who need relief are getting relief, but people are going to be retraining, they’re going to be looking for new jobs, they’re going to be trying to find their pathway to the middle class,” Bowser said. “And that is what we do at DOES.”

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Ahead of Bowser’s newser, Go-Go got there.

Go-go before @MayorBowser gets-gets here for the newser. pic.twitter.com/5oLP7OeuuA

— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) July 12, 2021

Employees have largely been working remotely since the start of the pandemic — in some cases, it’s been 16 months. There is some reluctance among workers to return. Many say they are more productive working from home. Several agency leaders said they’ll hold workshops to coach anxious employees through the return. WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.