Federal Employees Back in Office as Musk’s Threat Looms

Federal government employees nationwide, many of whom have been teleworking since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, returned to their office spaces on Monday following the directive from President Donald Trump to resume on-site work.

Elon Musk, the billionaire spearheading President Trump’s governmental efficiency initiatives aimed at identifying and curbing potential wastage in agencies, issued a stern reminder on his social media platform X.

“Beginning this week, employees who do not comply with the return-to-office requirement will face administrative leave,” Musk posted.

Lee Zeldin, recently appointed by Trump to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), declared in a message on X, previously known as Twitter, “The era of full-time remote working, initiated during COVID, is over under @POTUS leadership.” In a video shared on the platform, Zeldin pointed out that the attendance numbers at EPA’s main office during Mondays and Fridays last year fell below 9% of the entire workforce.

“Our extensive and elegant EPA offices, which occupy two city blocks in D.C. and span across five buildings, have been largely unattended, with empty desks and unfilled cubicles,” Zeldin remarked.

Yet, it seems that not all federal entities are fully prepared for the complete return of their remote employees.

An internal memo from the Department of Education shared with Federal Student Aid employees last Friday acknowledged that some regional offices located in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco lacked readiness for welcoming back employees. The communication highlighted that those residing over 50 miles away from these regional hubs were not obligated to appear in the offices this Monday.

“We should approach it like the initial day at school – allocate some time for acclimatization, navigate the surroundings, and learn how to utilize conference room facilities, among other things,” the email advised. “Undoubtedly, some may end up misplaced, arrive late, or frantically search for a spot due to unforeseen issues.”

While certain employees commenced reporting back to offices recently, others are scheduled to transition back in organized phases, extending through April and further.

Mike Galletly, the head of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 4016, mentioned the challenges the IT staff he represents at the Department of Agriculture are encountering in complying with the onsite work directive.

“For our members, there’s been a scramble to locate necessary hardware — monitors, docking stations, and more,” Galletly explained. “There’s a notable space constraint where offices typically meant for four now have to accommodate eight.”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has also instructed its telecommuting staff to return to office environments, even those originally recruited for remote positions.

Employees residing beyond a 50-mile radius from departmental regional offices received instructions via email on Monday to begin reporting on-site by April 28.

As of November last year, the federal government staffed over 3 million individuals, representing approximately 1.9% of the nation’s total civilian labor force, as per data from the Pew Research Center.