For some US federal civil servants, returning to the office meant taking on new functions – such as cleaning bathrooms and removing trash. For others, the return has only implemented to move to a physical building to continue working for video conferencing.
There were those who arrived at the office and immediately sent back home. Others arrived early and found no where to sit. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) servers returned to a place where lead was detected in the water. And budget freezes have resulted in the lack of toilet paper in some buildings.
The return to face-to-face work has been taking place in stages since former President Donald Trump signed an order determining this return shortly after taking office again. According to him, the measure ensures that employees are, in fact, working – and can still encourage further renunciations in the public sector.
“We believe that a substantial number of people will not appear to work, and so our government will be smaller and more efficient,” Trump said.
However, for those who have already returned, the process has been marked by lack of planning and coordination by the government, generating confusion, drop in morals and even more inefficiency, according to reports of dozens of servers, most on condition of anonymity due to reprisals.
They report logistics challenges, tight spaces, and scarcity of basic items, reflexes of a sudden change of politics to about 1 million employees who have worked on a hybrid or remote regime since Trump returned to the presidency. According to the Personnel Management Office (OPM), at the beginning of the year, the federal civil labor force was estimated at about 2.3 million people.
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FDA
On March 17, when servers from the Food and Medicines Agency (FDA) returned to the White Oak campus, on the outskirts of Washington, there was a place to park and a line contradicted the block to pass the security.
Soon, the bathrooms were left without toilet paper and paper towels. The coffee shop didn’t have enough food, and the office supplies were missing – and that was just the beginning.
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A FDA scientist, hired to act remotely, now needs to share physical space even working with sensitive and owners projects, which raises ethical and practical concerns.
CDC
At the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, employees were warned about the limited parking lot on two agency campuses. “Drive to Corporate Square and stay in the extra space of building 11,” said one warning on the intranet. “Get ready to work on your laptop with Wi-Fi.”
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In one of the campuses, you can take up to 90 minutes just to leave the parking lot, according to a server, due to congestion and bottlenecks. According to him, the site was never designed to accommodate all employees in person. Over the past decade, there was a plan to reduce rented properties, which required more remote work – something now forbidden by the Trump government.
IRS
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency equivalent to the IRS, faced similar problems.
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Jeff Eppler, Retired IRS manager, said some servers who deal directly with tax statements attended the office on the first day of return on March 10, just to be sent home.
“So instead of working that day, they spent the time in the office and then sent home to do the same job that would do all day,” he said.
PRESENCIALITY REQUIREMENT
The Biden government even defended the partial return, with half the week in the office. But the current administration requires the total return, even for those who were hired specifically for remote positions.
Some agencies gave weeks in advance about the return. Others, just a few days.
The measure ignores trade union contracts that foresee remote work.
In May 2024, more than half of civil servants already worked in person, according to data from the Management and Budget Office (OMB).
Neither the White House nor the OMB responded to how many servers are in full face -to -face regime. Of the more than a dozen agencies contacted by the New York Times, only five provided updates.
The Treasury Department reported that by the end of March, 85% of the servers were already back. In the administration of Small Business (SBA), many also returned, according to a representative. At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 68% of Washington -based employees already work in person full time. Since January 20, nearly 10,000 veteran affairs department has returned to the in person, with more returns scheduled for the following weeks. And 120,000 civil defense civil civilians have also resumed face -to -face work.
Musk
The requirement is part of a wide and disruptive restructuring of the federal labor force, led by billionaire Elon Musk. Changes include mass layoffs, rehirers, reinstatement by court decision and spending freeze.
Despite the name of the entity Musk leads – department of government efficiency – servers say there is little efficiency in conducting changes by Trump management. While requiring return to offices, the government encourages retirement and promotes layoffs – just to be forced to reject employees later.
The result, they say, is a chaotic daily life, with workers fearing to lose their jobs and not be able to support their families.
In addition to logistical challenges with the new routine – such as leaving and pursuing children at school or finding vacancies in hiring programs in the middle of the school year – many know that they may be among the next laid off.
In the Energy Department, leaders of some divisions determined that servers should return to offices in the Washington region by May 5, even though they act thousands of kilometers near other folder facilities. For many, this means having to decide for a change without knowing if they will be among the next cuts.
