An updated list of agencies’ return-to-office postures

The Office of Management and Budget has just opened the floodgates to more analysis of agencies’ telework and return-to-office postures.

OMB sent a nearly 3,000-page telework report to Congress last week, which details 24 agencies’ telework plans and policies, and makes it clear the government has taken a highly varied approach to returning employees to the office.

Using data from OMB’s report as well as some direct responses from agencies, Federal News Network has compiled an updated list of return-to-office postures for 24 CFO Act agencies. The chart below provides a simplified look at agencies’ nuanced return-to-office plans and telework policies. The information is only an overview, and agencies have outlined their return-to-office strategies in much more detail in the new OMB report to Congress.

While Federal News Network’s chart defines the overarching return-to-office strategies for agencies, there are nearly countless variations in each agency’s approach to their workplace posture.

The changes in many agencies’ return-to-office plans and telework postures comes in response to an April 2023 OMB memo, which called on agencies to scale back on telework for federal employees while increasing in-person presence of staff particularly at headquarters locations.

Over the course of the last year, one by one, agencies have announced and subsequently implemented return-to-office new return-to-office expectations for federal employees.

But as the Biden administration has set these expectations, it’s become clear that no telework policy is one-size-fits-all. OMB also emphasized that the majority of federal employees — roughly 56% — can’t telework at all, as they hold positions that require completely in-person work.

“Federal agencies are moving towards a posture where, on average, telework-eligible teams are working in person at the office at least half of the time — in addition to the roughly half of federal employees that work entirely in person already,” OMB wrote in the report. “This enables agencies to tailor approaches based on their diverse operational needs while ensuring agencies achieve the benefits of meaningful in-person work for strong teams and organizations.”

Even within a single agency, there can be variations due to the type of position, a manager’s discretion or the nature of the work at each agency subcomponent.

For instance, the Defense Department’s most recent update on telework didn’t necessarily change DoD’s policy, and all components have continued operating largely in person both at the Pentagon and nationwide. OMB’s April 2023 return-to-office memo only reinforced plans that were already occurring at the department, according to DoD officials.

“Regarding in-person presence, during the pandemic DoD did not see a drastic long-term absence of in-person presence in its buildings — as compared to many of our fellow federal agencies, who actually shuttered their offices in D.C.,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy Nancy Speight wrote in a January email to OMB, included in the new telework report.

Other agencies, such as the departments of Labor, Education and Interior, are continuing through negotiations with their federal unions to determine what the return-to-office changes will look like for bargaining unit employees.

In one example, nearly three-quarters of the Environmental Protection Agency’s workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements that include telework and remote work articles, which will remain in effect until late 2025.

“This limits management’s ability to require an increased in-person presence,” EPA wrote in a message to OMB, included in the telework report.

Many agencies also divided their return-to-office postures by the type of position an employee holds. The Social Security Administration, for instance, is requiring staff in the commissioner’s office to work in person eight days per pay period. But other headquarters components and regional offices have a six-day requirement — and still other supervisors and Senior Executive Service members have a four-day in-the-office requirement every two weeks.

While a number of agencies have instituted “core collaboration days” for their employees, even those requirements have their own ranges. The Agriculture Department, as an example, requires at a minimum two core days for managers and supervisors, and one core day for other telework-eligible staff.

And after implementing return-to-office changes, agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services are now looking at increasing their accountability and reporting requirements, aiming to incorporate the ability of real-time data tracking for employees’ time and attendance.

OMB said even with many agencies now meeting or exceeding the 50% in-the-office baseline requirements, there are likely many changes still ahead for the federal workforce.

“Despite progress, the work continues to ensure federal agencies have the right operating posture,” OMB wrote in the telework report. “A key tenet of [the April 2023 memo] is continuous evaluation, and OMB expects that agencies will continue to optimize their work environment and telework posture with mission delivery as their north star, even if they have completed initial implementation efforts.”

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