How Is the Return to Office (RTO) Federal Mandate Impacting Remote Work in the Workplace

Overview

On his first day in office in 2025, President Trump issued a mandate directing all federal departments and agencies to take steps to end remote work arrangements. The order specifies that agency leaders should "require employees to return to work in person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis" unless they have legitimate reasons for exemption under existing law.

According to a report by the Office of Management and Budget, in May 2024, 1.1 million federal civilian employees were eligible for work arrangements that allowed them to do their jobs partly or entirely away from their work site. Of those employees, around 228,000 occupied remote positions where they were not expected to report to a physical location. 

President Trump's new mandate ending remote work for most federal employees has recently rocked the federal workforce. Although Trump had long suggested this was a priority for his administration, many federal employees are confused and concerned about what the return to in-person work executive order means in practice. 

Executive Order: Return to Office (RTO) Also Titled Return to In-Person Work

"Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary". 

The federal return-to-office order instructed heads of executive branch departments to "take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements." The memo does allow for exemptions that leaders "deem necessary."

Why you should Attend

Remember, people relocated and took many new positions as a result of remote work, so many of these are life issues, not work policies. This also means the federal government’s ability to hire highly skilled professionals will also be hurt.

In a statement this week, Everett Kelley president of the American Federation of Government Employees, comprised of 800,000 federal and D.C. government workers called the federal return-to-office order a "backward action" that "turns back the clock to before 2010," when Congress directed federal agencies to increase telework opportunities.

The order is already getting pushback from unionized federal employees, about a quarter of whom have formal hybrid or remote arrangements. There is also concern that this will trickle down to private employers, which will impact worker flexibility

Areas Covered in the Session

• Learn what the Return to Office Order says
• When Does the Return to In-Person Work Executive Order Take Effect?
• Who Is Included in the Executive Order to Return to Work?
• Are There Any Exceptions to the Federal Employee Return to Work Executive Order?
• What private businesses have already mandated their employees to return to the office full time
• Learn how federal and private workers are pushing back on the RTO's potential impact to select opportunities
• Learn what type of workers are impacted by any RTO mandate
• Learn what the flexibilities can be allowed to increase top-level candidates that need flexibilities
• Learn what workers can do if they want to have Hybrid work as an option
• Learn how Employers and HR can maximize  on reaching top candidates who are looking for flexibility as other companies eliminate them

Who Will Benefit

• All Federal and Private Employers
• Business Owners
• Company Leadership
• Compliance professionals
• HR Professionals
• Professionals responsible for recruitment and onboarding employees
• Managers/Supervisors