- President Trump issued an executive order requiring federal employees to return to the office full time.
- Some workers told BI that it will put a huge strain on travel and family life.
- Others say they are ready to return to the office full-time and see the value of tenure.
President Donald Trump has officially ordered federal employees into the office full-time. There are some employees who are rethinking their careers, while others see value in the new tenure.
The return-to-office request is one of Trump’s first moves and could reshape the federal workforce. In late November, Elon Musk — head of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency — and former DOGE co-head Vivek Ramaswamy proposed the RTO mandate as a cost-cutting measure. They argued that this would effectively eliminate employees who did not want to return.
Now that the federal RTO is set to become a reality, Business Insider spoke with a collection of federal employees who offered different perspectives on the order. Employees were granted anonymity to allow them to speak freely about their work situations. Their identity has been verified.
Detailed below are some of the key issues raised by frustrated federal employees, as well as the reasoning behind those supporting the RTO.
More demanding trips
An employee at the Justice Department told Business Insider that one reason they took the job was because of the flexibility offered by remote work. Now that they are facing a potential demand five days a week, their total weekly travel time could increase to 15 hours, up from six hours a week.
“You work for the government, it’s supposed to be the best place to work, and suddenly you’re not getting the same flexibilities that you’ve lived with and arranged your life for the last two years. “, said the employee.
An employee named Tyra, who works at the Health Resources and Services Administration, said the flexibility of telecommuting has allowed her to exercise regularly after her shift ends. She now faces a 90-minute commute each way to Washington, D.C., something that could cut short her training to become a Pilates instructor.
“A lot of people live a little further away,” Tyra said. “It’s just a lot to take in and suddenly change.”
Another federal employee said that working in an office every day would mean “at least 10 stressful hours a week lost in traffic,” in addition to time spent making lunch and other elements related to getting ready for work.
“It will cost more money in gas, car wear and tear, parking fees and business attire,” they told BI.
Complications of family life
A veteran and four-year federal employee is trying to figure out how to restructure their family’s life within the RTO mandate. They told BI that they had been telecommuting since they started their jobs, which allowed flexibility for childcare. They have not yet received any formal guidance from their agency, but they are beginning to look at other career opportunities outside of the federal government.
“Everybody’s trying to figure it out, and we’re trying to do it with limited time and on the fly,” the worker said.
A clinical psychologist for a federal unit said they won’t be able to do their jobs if it’s not remote. As a military spouse, the employee is required to move frequently, making it impossible to travel five days a week to a single location away from where they are stationed.
“It honestly just makes me think about leaving entirely in the first place,” they said. “I can’t work for anyone where there is so much uncertainty when I have to support my family and when I have young children.”
Those who support RTO
But not everyone is against the mandate of the RTO. A federal employee says that while they are only required to work in the office two days a week, they would be willing to extend that.
“You need us to come in five days, we will come in five days”, said the employee. “We’re adapting as we go along.”
The employee added that they expect some workers to retire earlier than planned because of this mandate. While they recognize the challenges it can bring, they are grateful for the job and willing to work with it.
“There’s a majority of Americans who would probably kill to have this opportunity, and they probably don’t want to hear someone complain, ‘Well, I have to go back to the office,'” the employee said.
Another employee at the Department of Homeland Security, who has already gone to work in person most of the time, told BI that being in the office “really increases collaboration,” adding that “decisions often happen faster.” They also said that working in an office can create “clearer boundaries between work and home life”.
“I think overall it’s a positive change in our work environment,” the employee said.
Impoverished morale and the ‘brain drain’
A Social Security Administration employee who works from home twice a week said the new RTO mandate will damage organizational culture by deepening existing worker discontent.
“Morale is so low right now in this agency,” they said, adding, “we’re going to have even more people who want to leave.”
Besides, a Treasury official said the RTO’s order would lead to the loss of staff, including the postponement of some people’s retirement.
There will be a “brain drain of senior and knowledgeable employees,” they said.