One of President Donald Trump‘s many executive orders issued during his first week in office was to end remote work arrangements for most federal employees, requiring them to return to their in-office duty stations full-time.
A large number of federal employees have been informed of the policy change and have taken to social media to express frustrations.
Why It Matters
RTO, or “return to office,” refers to the federal government’s policy requiring employees to work on-site rather than remotely. For many, that means government workers will head back to an office space instead of working in their home.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo
What To Know
Trump’s RTO mandate will impact over 3 million federal employees, marking a major shift in workplace policy. The executive order requires most government workers to return to their duty stations full-time, ending telework arrangements widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Reddit, discussions among users who say they are federal employees revealed panic and dissatisfaction over the move.
They have cited doctor’s appointments and childcare, among other things, are areas of concern.
RTO Mandate: Full Text
Trump’s executive order, signed January 20, gives a broad explanation of the elimination of remote work arrangements for most federal employees. It states:
“Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.
“This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.”
Agency heads are authorized to grant exemptions, per the mandate, but White House officials have not offered detailed guidance on how exemptions should be determined.
Which Federal Workers Will Have to Go Back to the Office?
The return-to-office mandate applies broadly to federal employees across all agencies.
But which federal organizations are specifically mandated to return to an office is unclear.
Data from May 2024 showed that an estimated 10 percent of federal civilian employees work remotely full-time, or about 228,000 workers, according to Office of Management and Budget.
Of employed adults who have a job that can be done remotely—including federal employees—roughly 75 percent are working remotely at least some of the time, per a recent Pew Research Center survey.
A new study from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association found that 46 percent of remote workers would quit if they were told to work in an office full-time.
What People Are Saying
President-elect Donald Trump said at a press conference: “If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed.”
Elon Musk said on X: “It’s not fair that most people have to come to work to build products or provide services while Federal Government employees get to stay home.”
President of the American Federation of Government Employees Everett Kelley said in a statement to NBC: “Rather than undoing decades of progress in workplace policies that have benefited both employees and their employers, I encourage the Trump administration to rethink its approach and focus on what it can do to make government programs work better for the American people.”
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The Future of WFH
The return-to-office mandate has ignited debates about the future of working from home for the federal government. Critics warn that the policy could lead to higher turnover rates.
“Providing eligible employees with the opportunity to work hybrid schedules is a key tool for recruiting and retaining workers in both the public and private sectors,” Kelley said in a statement to NPR. “Restricting the use of hybrid work arrangements will make it harder for federal agencies to compete for top talent.”
As agencies prepare to implement the RTO directive, questions remain about its long-term implications for productivity and employee satisfaction.
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