The White House’s US Office of Personnel Management did not mince words when addressing agency heads in a memo outlining the next steps for federal workers’ return to office.
“Federal office buildings sit mostly empty, particularly Washington, D.C.-area agency headquarters offices, devastating the local economy and serving as a national embarrassment,” Charles Ezell, the acting director of the OPM, said in the Wednesday memo.
Ezell added that “virtually unrestricted telework” has led to “poorer government services” and also impacted the ability to train and supervise workers.
The OPM defines telework as an arrangement in which employees are expected to report to an agency office on a regular basis for each pay period, in addition to working from an alternative location, like their home. Remote workers, according to the OPM, are those who have not been previously required to report to an agency office.
The memo comes in the wake of Trump’s executive order mandating the return of in-person office work for executive branch employees.
Ezell said that the pandemic has been over for years and “the vast majority” of federal workers did not return to the office.
In addition to criticizing remote work, Ezell detailed three tasks that federal agencies must complete by Friday at 5 p.m.
The first requires each agency head to revise its telework policy to state that eligible employees must work full time at their designated site unless granted an exemption due to a disability, medical condition, or otherwise approved reason “certified by the agency head and the employee’s supervisor.”
The second task requires that the agency head send an email notification to all employees about Trump’s in-person work mandate and their intent to comply with it. The email should also include a copy of the mandate, the memo said.
The third directive calls for agencies to let OPM know who is the agency’s telework managing officer, and to give the officer the responsibility of complying with the new guidelines.
The memo states that agencies are required to tell OPM when they plan to fully implement the new policy, with the suggestion of reaching “full compliance” within 30 days “subject to any exclusions granted by the agency and any collective bargaining obligations.”
“If an employee’s official duty station is more than 50 miles from any existing agency office, the agency should take steps to move the employee’s duty station to the most appropriate agency office based on the employee’s duties and job function,” the memo said.
In an effort to streamline the federal workforce, the Trump administration has also moved to revoke federal job offers that were accepted before January 20 with an undefined start date or one that comes after February 8. President Trump has also taken steps to end federal DEI programs.
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