Trump orders RTO for federal workers
Photo by Anna Lowe
In an executive order this week, President Trump ordered all federal workers to return to the office.
“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.”
What caused the executive order?
The RTO mandate was pushed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, as part of a broader focus on government efficiency. In an op-ed discussing DOGE, the two billionaire entrepreneurs described it as a mechanism to encourage “voluntary terminations.”
It is assumed to be applicable to all federal employees, including both hybrid and fully remote. Federal agencies will have 30 days to implement the mandate.
Federal employees, and union leaders, were not happy about the RTO mandate. They claim it will hinder the efficiency of the government, especially in the case of attracting talent and working during emergencies. They have also stated that Musk, and Trump’s team, have misrepresented and exaggerated the scope of federal remote work in order to score political points. Many are concerned about increased costs and retaining current talented workers.
Legal Action?
It is possible that legal action will be taken to stop, or at least fight, Trump’s executive order. According to an article on CNN, any legal dispute would center around a violation of current contracts between the unions and the federal government.
In a government report, “Status of Telework in the Federal Government Report to Congress” for fiscal year 2023, “43 percent of all Federal employees participated in routine or situational telework, compared to 46 percent the year prior. Overall, this participation level (43%) marks the lowest percentage since fiscal year 2019.”
