The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is doubling down on its return-to-work order, offering few exemptions from in-person directives, according to updated guidance.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders last January directing agencies to bring federal workers back to the office. At that time, about 10% of the workforce was fully remote and roughly 40% teleworked at least part time.
Under OPM’s latest guidance federal agencies are expected to have employees work full time on-site unless a qualifying exemption applies. OPM also said agencies should “establish policies and procedures to monitor and verify that employees are working full-time, in-person at the assigned agency worksite or an approved alternative worksite under a qualifying exemption.”
Exemptions cover military spouses, those with disabilities or primary caregiving responsibilities that make commuting difficult, “fed-to-fed” families, and other limited exceptions. Roughly 10% of federal employees have been granted exemptions under the current guidance, OPM Director Scott Kupor wrote in a blog post.
Now a year into Trump’s back-to-the-office orders, Kupor said about 90% of federal workers now work in person.
The new guidance also outlines appropriate remote working conditions and notes that agencies may terminate or modify agreements if those conditions are not met.
Considerations include the approved worksite, expected hours of work, communication expectations, reporting and oversight requirements, equipment responsibilities, and termination and modification rights.
Other factors in remote or telework approvals cover operational needs, security constraints, performance metrics, clear standards, and budget and locality pay impacts.
Kupor wrote that while not all jobs require constant collaboration and communication and could be done at home, in-person work improves efficiency and reduces distractions. He also noted that the government is not well-equipped to manage a largely remote federal workforce.
“After years of operating at levels of remote work and telework well beyond pre-pandemic norms, the government needs to reset expectations, tackle issues like excess office space, modernize our tools, and rebuild confidence that we can deliver consistently no matter where we work,” Kupor wrote.