Telework Being Phased out or Ending?
In May, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that it will end the use of maximum telework as part of the federal government’s operating status when the COVID-19 public health emergency ended. However, OPM said agencies should still balance the Office of Management and Budget’s call for substantially increased meaningful in-person work at federal agencies with the benefits associated with continued use of workplace flexibilities.
In February, the House passed the SHOW-UP Act, which requires each executive agency to reinstate the telework policies that were in place on December 31, 2019. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate in mid-May. The Department of Veterans Affairs recently said that it will require telework eligible employees in the Washington DC area to work onsite at least half of the time.