White House asks agencies to step up workers’ return to offices

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Thursday asked federal agencies to revise workforce plans as it aims to “substantially increase” in-person work by government employees at headquarters offices and improve services, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

The memo to executive branch agencies from White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Shalanda Young directs agencies to refresh work environment plans and policies.

“Consistent with trends over the last two years, plans should reflect the expectation that agency headquarters and equivalents generally continue to substantially increase meaningful in-person work in Federal offices,” the memo first reported by Reuters said.

President Joe Biden on Monday signed legislation ending the three-year COVID-19 emergency. Many of the 2 million civilian federal employees began working remotely in March 2020 but about half were required to remain in-person throughout the pandemic.

OMB Deputy Director Jason Miller said in a blog post, “The guidance we are releasing today directs agencies to refresh their Work Environment plans and policies – with the general expectation that agency headquarters will continue to substantially increase in-person presence in the office – while also conducting regular assessments to determine what is working well, what is not, and what can be improved.”

Some Republican lawmakers have pressed federal agencies to require more government workers to return to offices.

Many of those offices are in the Washington, DC area.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, in January said the city needs “decisive action by the White House to either get most federal workers back to the office most of the time or to realign their vast property holdings for use by the local government, by non-profits, by businesses and by any user willing to revitalize it”.

In February, the House of Representatives passed legislation to mandate federal agencies reinstate 2019 pre-pandemic telework policies, and require telework expansions be certified by the Office of Personnel Management as having a positive effect on an agency’s mission and costs.

“It’s time for the federal workforce to get back to work in-person for the American people. For years now, Americans have suffered because of the federal government’s detrimental pandemic-era telework policies,” said Representative James Comer, who chairs the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Miller said the directives are also aimed at ensuring that “American people can easily and efficiently access critical government services”.

Aiming to cut long wait times and delays in processing federal services, OMB’s memo said: “Agencies should prioritize improving experiences and services that directly impact the public.”

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sonali Paul)