The nation’s largest employer says it’s time for employees to return to the office more regularly, offering the latest salvo in America’s work from home battle.
The Biden administration on Thursday detailed new guidance for a return to work for federal employees, making clear that they must “substantially” increase in-office work. The guidance called on each department and agency to formulate its own plans based on their organization’s needs, but stopped short of calling for any specific requirement.
“The guidance we are releasing today directs agencies to refresh their Work Environment plans and policies—with the general expectation that agency headquarters will continue to substantially increase in-person presence in the office—while also conducting regular assessments to determine what is working well, what is not, and what can be improved,” Jason Miller, the deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a blog post explaining the new guidelines.
The plans to return the workforce to more regular in-person attendance come as the federal pandemic response is coming to a close, with programs winding down as the public health emergency is set to end May 11.
“One year after agencies completed reentry, and with the planned conclusion of the public health emergency, it is the right time for agencies to assess their work environments, reflecting on what they have learned as they build routines for measuring and monitoring organizational health and organizational performance,” White House Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young said in a memo sent to the heads of executive departments and agencies.
Young added, “It is the expectation that as a part of these assessments agencies will continue to substantially increase meaningful in-person work at Federal offices, particularly at headquarters and…
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