90% of Federal Offices Empty: A National Embarrassment

A memo from the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, has instructed all federal agencies to end remote work arrangements. This directive follows a presidential memorandum by Donald Trump, aiming for a full-time return to office within 30 days. The memo highlights that most federal offices are virtually abandoned, with the vast majority of federal workers not having returned to in-person work since the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. This situation has led to a significant economic downturn in Washington, D.C., and has been labeled a “national embarrassment.” The memo also points out that unrestricted telework has negatively impacted government services, supervision, and training. A recent House Committee report criticized the lack of data on remote work’s effectiveness, noting that billions are being wasted on largely vacant federal office spaces. The report also mentioned that there has been no real attempt to assess telework’s impact on agency missions or recruitment and retention challenges.

Source: arstechnica.com