Make America get dressed again: Federal workers should come back to the office

It has been almost five years since federal employees packed up their desk plants and office mugs and retreated to the comfort of their sofas. What started as an emergency measure to keep the government running during a pandemic has turned into a permanent remote-work free-for-all. The only problem is that it is not working anymore, if it ever did. It is high time for federal workers to hang up their pajamas, learn to tie their shoes again, and get back to the office.

Ask yourself, when you picture a federal employee working from home, what do you see? Someone diligently drafting reports and answering calls, or someone doing yoga between Netflix episodes while their sourdough starter rises in the background? The taxpayers who pay their salaries are not funding an army of home chefs perfecting their cake art or logging mid-afternoon Peloton sessions. They’re expecting accountability, productivity and results.

But accountability is nearly impossible to enforce when workers are scattered across living rooms and coffee shops. Supervisors cannot keep tabs on performance when the Zoom camera is perpetually “broken.” A 2021 Government Accountability Office report found that managers in federal agencies struggled to monitor remote employees, resulting in missed deadlines and less oversight. Taxpayers and our country deserve better.

Consider the Social Security Administration, which faced massive backlogs processing claims during the pandemic because workers could not collaborate effectively from home. Constituents waited months, and sometimes years, for benefits they desperately needed; you simply cannot run a high-functioning bureaucracy over spotty Wi-Fi and “quick” dog-walking breaks.

Then there is the issue of productivity (or lack thereof). A report from the Office of Personnel Management found that remote workers in several agencies experienced significant declines in efficiency during extended telework periods. Sure, there are superstar employees out there, but for every go-getter who’s answering emails at 7 a.m., there is someone watching The Office “in the background.”

Speaking of offices, federal buildings across the country are sitting empty while we pay for their maintenance, utilities and security. Taxpayers are funding ghost towns. The federal government owns roughly 511 million square feet of office space, much of it in expensive urban areas. These buildings are more abandoned than an old Blockbuster, costing millions to maintain while employees apologize for their pets making noise in the background because the Amazon van arrived.

And what about the workers who have moved hundreds of miles away to cheaper cities, taking their federal paychecks with them? Sure, it’s nice for them, but taxpayers in D.C. and other hub cities are getting stiffed. Federal workers were supposed to support their local communities, not disappear to a remote Airbnb with a view.

But enough about the taxpayers (for now) — let’s talk about what federal employees are missing out on by staying remote: their careers. Remote work might seem like a sweet deal, until you realize it’s a one-way ticket to stagnation. Employees lose out on mentorship, networking and those spontaneous hallway conversations that lead to big opportunities.

You do not build a career over Zoom. You do not get promoted because you sent a well-worded Teams message or clicked the “raise hand” button in a meeting. You get noticed by showing up, contributing and building relationships with colleagues and supervisors. A 2022 study by Gallup found that in-person interactions are critical for fostering innovation, mentorship and professional growth.

We must not forget the value of team building and camaraderie. Remote work kills those watercooler moments that spark collaboration and creativity. And no, Slack channels full of memes don’t count as “teambuilding.” A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that in-person teams are far more productive and cohesive than remote ones because real trust and collaboration happen face-to-face, not through a screen.

The irony here is rich: the Biden federal government loves to preach about the importance of community and collective effort, yet it has turned its own workforce into a collection of isolated strangers. Agencies that handle national security, public health and disaster response can’t afford to operate like this. When the next crisis hits, do we really want a workforce that’s forgotten how to work together in person?

Let’s not forget that remote work doesn’t work for everyone, especially the public. When federal employees work remotely, the people they are supposed to serve often get left in the lurch. Good luck explaining to a frustrated constituent why the office they just called is closed or why their application is “pending review” after six months.

This isn’t about being anti-worker or clinging to some outdated notion of the 9-to-5 grind. It’s about recognizing that federal employees have a unique responsibility as public servants. They are not freelancers; they’re the backbone of the government, and they need to act like it.

Americans are already back to work: cops are patrolling streets, teachers are in classrooms, and truck drivers are keeping the economy moving. Federal employees are no different. The government was not designed to function as a fully or even mostly remote operation, and it is time to stop pretending it can.

So, let’s cut the excuses, power down the Pelotons and get back to the office. Accountability, productivity and taxpayer trust are all on the line. Taxpayers are ready for their government to get back to business in person. Federal workers must be too.

John-Paul S. Deol is a partner and leader of the nationwide Employment Law Practice Group at Dhillon Law Group.

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