Incoming Trump administration advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy proposed ending remote work for federal workers as a means of reducing the federal workforce. They argued that requiring employees to come to the office five days a week would lead to voluntary terminations, saving taxpayers money. Currently, about 46% of federal civilian employees are eligible for telework, and 10% are in remote positions with no expectation of returning to the office. The Biden administration had previously ordered federal agencies to increase in-person work, but some flexibility remained due to factors like operational costs and recruiting talent. Musk and Ramaswamy are co-heads of the proposed Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, and have suggested other ways to cut federal jobs, such as large-scale firings and relocating agencies out of Washington. Some unionized federal workers have criticized their proposals, calling them uninformed and unfair to dedicated employees. Musk, who has implemented a strict return-to-office policy at his own companies, has been influential in Trump’s orbit and has advocated for ending remote work. The future of remote work for office-based employees remains a topic of debate, with some companies calling workers back to the office while others see remote work as a valuable recruiting and retention tool.
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Musk and Ramaswamy propose mass layoffs and discontinuation of telecommuting for government workers
