NEWARK, NJ – The White House is urging federal agencies to transition to more in-person work starting next month, emphasizing its importance in delivering government services effectively. White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients stated that returning to in-person work is crucial for teams’ well-being and achieving better outcomes for the American people.
An email sent by Zients on Friday emphasized that agencies should prioritize increasing in-person work for their teams during September and October. The move comes after the White House Office of Management and Budget directed federal agencies to revise their workforce plans in April, aiming to increase in-person work by government employees at headquarters offices substantially.
The COVID-19 emergency, which lasted for three years, was ended by President Biden in April. During the pandemic, many of the 2 million civilian federal employees worked remotely, with about half of them required to work in-person throughout the pandemic.
A review conducted by the Government Accountability Office in July revealed that, in early 2023, 17 out of 24 federal agencies used on average an estimated 25% or less of their headquarters’ capacity.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Department have also expressed their intentions to increase in-person work for teleworking government employees. The FAA expects employees to increase their in-office presence to at least three days per week by October 9.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg conveyed the importance of being physically present to ensure the department’s long-term success, and the USDOT expects teleworking employees to report in person a minimum of three days every two weeks, starting September 10, and a minimum of four days per pay period starting December 3.
Some Republican lawmakers have been advocating for federal agencies to require more government workers to return to their offices. In February, the House passed legislation mandating federal agencies to reinstate pre-pandemic telework policies from 2019.
