President Donald Trump has issued an order for all government employees to return to the office full time, which has sent many workers scurrying for exemptions to this new rule.
The start of Donald Trump’s presidency has been nothing if not expedient. The administration has issued a vast array of executive orders and directives that have changed the way government operates in the US.
One of those directives requires all government employees in the US to return to the office five days per week, “or be terminated.” Luckily, there are, indeed, a few exemptions.
Government Employee RTO Mandate Exemptions
Because Trump’s second term is still very much in its infancy, there isn’t much information out there about what kind of exemptions are available for government employees trying to avoid the return-to-office mandate.
There has, however, been a memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personal Management (OPM) that outline some basic criteria for those eligible to be exempt from the directive.
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- Individuals with disabilities
- Individuals with qualifying medical conditions
- Military spouses working remotely
- Other compelling reasons
Yes, that last one is pretty vague, which is why government agencies have been told to create a short list of eligible exemptions that would allow employees to work from home. All that to say, there is a sliver of hope if you don’t fall into the categories above, but don’t hold your breath if you don’t have a “compelling reason” to ditch your commute.
Trump’s Return to Office Mandate Explained
Donald Trump, along with DOGE head Elon Musk, has been vocal about wanting government employees back in the office, because according to him, they are “less productive.”
That is, of course, not the case, at least according to the latest work from home productivity, but there might be another reason the president is forcing this RTO mandate so hard.
“We think a very substantial number of people will not show up to work, and, therefore, our government will get smaller and more efficient. And that’s what we’ve been looking to do for many, many decades.” – President Donald Trump
Trump and Musk have also been decidedly vocal about shrinking the size of the government, and the tech industry has proven definitively over the last few years that forcing employees back into the office leads to resignations.
The practice, known as a backdoor layoff, has been a hot-button issue in Silicon Valley, with many CEOs accused of the firing strategy and then denying it, categorically. But with Trump basically admitting it during a press conference, there’s really no need to speculate anymore.
The Value of Remote Work
Given the swaths of return-to-office mandates that have run rampant in the tech industry over the last few years, it would be understandable to think that remote work was somehow bad for business.
However, the reality is that virtually all statistics related to remote work and return-to-office mandates show that the flexible working arrangement can increase productivity, improve employees retention, and even reduce your carbon footprint.
- 47% of businesses noticed increased productivity levels among employees who work remotely.
- Over 33% of remote workers would leave their job if forced back to the office.
- RTO mandates have no significant impact on either stock returns or profitability.
- 30% of employees did more work in less time, while working remotely.
- Remote workers are 22% happier than in-office workers.
- Hybrid workers that are working from home between two and four days per week can cut emissions by between 11% and 29%.
Suffice to say, there are plenty of reasons why remote work remains a popular and effective tool for businesses to hold onto their high performers while improving the business in the process. And if you don’t want to go back to the office, we definitely understand.
How to Find Another Remote Job
If you’re a government employee with no interest in returning to the office, we don’t blame you. As we mentioned above, working from home is not only good for work-life balance, but many also see improved productivity across their work.
So, why would you want to give up the remote work life at all? There are hundreds of companies out there that are still hiring for remote positions, and we at Tech.co have made it our mission to showcase as many roles as possible for our readers.
Every month, we put together a remote work guide to companies that are currently hiring for remote positions, and we highlight companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple that are offering dozens, if not hundreds of work-from-home eligible jobs right now.
