- Trump orders government employees to return to office full time
- Union workers want weakened job protections
- Redundancies and changes in the workforce are expected
US government officials have been mandated to return to the office full-time under the new Trump administration, marking an end to hybrid and flexible work setups.
Tech companies have widely implemented office work ranging from three to five days a week in recent years following pandemic-induced remote elections, and now it’s the U.S. government’s turn to follow suit.
Trump’s new policy, enacted on the day of his inauguration, will require American federal workers to return to their personal offices and work full time.
Trump issues full-time RTO to government employees
A brief statement reads: “Heads of all departments and agencies of the executive branch of government shall, as soon as possible, take all necessary steps to end remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in person at their respective places of employment d. on a full-time basis, provided that the heads of departments and boards must make exemptions that they deem necessary.”
The new president has also reinstated so-called Schedule F “immediately” and “with full force and effect,” effectively weakening job protections for government officials.
Critics argue the move could help Trump replace certain employees with a more loyal workforce. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents federal government employees, has already filed suit in federal court in Washington to sue Trump (via Pakinomist).
In addition, a hiring freeze and the formation of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, will further affect the size and composition of the federal government.
Musk is also a fan of in-person work – in a statement to Tesla employees, he claimed that remote work was “no longer acceptable.” Voluntary layoffs across government agencies are predicted as a result of recent changes led by Trump and possibly Musk.
