RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin missed a deadline Friday for evaluating state employees’ requests to work remotely, feeding consternation over stricter telework policies that the Republican billed as a way to boost efficiency in government.

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       Jeff Goettman, Youngkin’s chief of staff, informed executive branch agency heads in an email Friday that the administration would not hit its self-imposed deadline for evaluating “telework” requests.

       Youngkin tightens remote work policies for Virginia state employees

       “While we continue working through the telework requests as expeditiously as possible, we are informing you we will not have all of them returned to agencies by the June 3 date as previously anticipated,” Goettman wrote in the email, which the governor’s office provided to The Washington Post.

       A former private equity executive who vowed during last year’s campaign to make government work at “the speed of business,” Youngkin has moved slowly in some areas, most notably as he assembled his Cabinet.

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       The governor announced a month ago that he was ending the liberal telework policies that have been in place for much of the state workforce since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, calling the move a way to make state government more customer-friendly, efficient and innovative.

       Exceptions will be made for health or personal reasons, but senior administration officials must sign off. Only an agency head can approve any request to telework one day per week. A Cabinet secretary must sign off for two days per week. Three or more days a week require approval from Goettman.

       Unless an exception is granted, all employees are expected to work in person by July 5. Youngkin set a May 20 deadline for workers to apply for a waiver and promised their applications would be reviewed by Friday.

       Virginia Democrats press Youngkin to reverse stricter telework policy

       Two weeks ago, eight Democrats in the General Assembly urged Youngkin to reverse the new policy, arguing in a letter that the move goes against a trend in the private sector that allows more flexibility for hybrid work schedules.

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       Critics seized on the missed deadline as a sign of mismanagement.

       “Glenn Youngkin’s incompetence is on full display with the disaster of his telework ‘policy,’ ” the Arlington Democratic Party tweeted. “He creates unrealistic timelines and his Chief of Staff micro-manages individual telework requests. This is no way to run a government and shows the Governor doesn’t know what he is doing.”

       Youngkin spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said administration officials did not receive some requests in a timely manner, leading to delays in evaluating them. “We’re processing them as we get them,” she said.

       In his email announcing the delay, Goettman said the administration only needs a few more days to wrap things up.

       “Every effort is being made to process the requests in a timely manner and anticipate completion of this step in the process by early next week,” he wrote. “Thank you for your efforts in making a best-in-class government serving all Virginians.”

       Youngkin has often accused Democrats of going overboard with pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, extended schools closures and the suspension of walk-in services at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

       But his action on remote work is in line with Virginia’s more liberal neighbors. Public employees in Maryland and D.C. have been back to in-person work for nearly a year.