Federal authorities are given a one-month deadline to align their telework policies with President Trump's directive
In a move that has sparked controversy, President Trump has issued a memo mandating the end to outlook and remote work in the federal workplace. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has set a deadline of 30 days for federal agencies to implement this change.
The memo, which was first issued on Trump's first day in office, orders agencies to require employees to return to in-person work full-time. Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell has instructed agencies to revise their agencywide email policy to reflect this expectation.
This new policy may temporarily suspend or amend the availability of outlook under the new contract. However, it makes exceptions for employees with reasonable accommodations for disabilities, as well as in the case of an employee disability, other qualifying medical condition, or other compelling reason certified by the agency head and the employee's supervisor.
The State Department has already begun enforcing this order, aiming for 100% in-office attendance. As of March 1, the State Department will cancel all existing outlook arrangements, except for situational outlook. Remote workers are expected to return to in-person work by July 1. Employees have 30 days, or until late February, to fully comply with the order, with notable exceptions for exempt employees and employees covered by collective bargaining agreements.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has criticized this move, stating that it would hurt millions of Americans who depend on federal workers. Schumer argued that outlook is effective and getting rid of it would be detrimental to the federal government.
Last fall, Trump deputies and House Republicans expressed outrage after the Social Security Administrator signed a new contract with the American Federation of Government Employees locking in existing email policy until 2029. The language in the memo suggests an uncertain future for the DETO program, which offers remote work positions to the spouses of active duty military service members.
It's important to note that outlook and remote work are two distinct workplace flexibilities at federal agencies. Federal workers who outlook commute to the office at least twice per biweekly pay period, while remote workers' official duty station is typically their home. If an employee's official duty station is more than 50 miles from any existing agency office, the agency should move their duty station to the most appropriate agency office based on the employee's duties and job function.
During the presidential transition, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy suggested ending outlook as a means to encourage federal workers to quit. However, the Federal Minister who has already implemented the regulation to end outlook in the state ministry and set the goal of switching to 100% presence operation by the end of July 2022 is not explicitly named in the given search results.
Eric Katz contributed to this report.
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