Federal Telework and the Return to the Office

The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 required agencies to decide which employees could work from home some of the time and to name telework managing officers. Telework grew slowly until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when most office workers were sent home almost overnight. Afterward many agencies adopted hybrid schedules, with employees in the office some days a week, and some positions became fully remote, letting agencies hire across the country and give up office space.

By the end of 2024 about 61 percent of federal employees worked hybrid schedules, according to Gallup surveys, while many others, such as nurses, inspectors, and law enforcement officers, could never telework. Supporters said telework saved money on space, helped recruit workers outside expensive cities, and kept operations running during emergencies. Critics, including members of both parties, said agencies had too little data on productivity and that many federal buildings sat largely empty, which the Government Accountability Office documented in 2023.

On January 20, 2025, the President ordered agencies to end remote work and return employees to in-person work full time, with exceptions for disability, military spouses, and other reasons. Hybrid work among federal employees fell to about 28 percent by mid-2025. Many agencies scrambled for desks and parking, and some employees quit or retired. Supporters said in-person work improves accountability and teamwork, while unions and critics said the change was a way to push people out and cost money in new office space.