Look around your favorite coffee shop on a Tuesday morning. It’s packed. You’ll see people with high-end laptops, noise-canceling headphones, and lukewarm lattes, all grinding away while wearing sweatpants they’ve had since 2021. This is the "new normal" everyone keeps talking about, but the government—specifically the federal government—is currently in the middle of a massive, messy tug-of-war over that lifestyle. It’s all centered on the back to work executive order and the intense pressure to get federal employees back into those expensive, half-empty office buildings in D.C.
It’s complicated. People often think an executive order is just a magic wand a President waves to change the world instantly. It's not. Especially when it comes to the federal workforce, which is basically the largest employer in the country. We are talking about millions of people. When the Biden-Harris administration shifted gears from pandemic-era flexibility to a "return to office" (RTO) stance, it sent shockwaves through the beltway. You’ve got unions screaming about workers' rights, city mayors begging for foot traffic to save their dying downtown delis, and tech-savvy employees wondering why they have to sit in traffic for two hours just to hop on a Zoom call they could have taken from their kitchen table.
Why the Push for a Back to Work Executive Order Happened Now
The timing wasn't an accident. For a long time, the federal government was the poster child for remote work success. Agencies like the USPTO (Patent and Trademark Office) had been doing it for years before COVID was even a thing. But then, the political climate shifted.
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Republican lawmakers started hammering the administration about "ghost government" buildings. They pointed to data from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showing that some agency headquarters were operating at 10% capacity. Think about that. A massive, taxpayer-funded skyscraper with the lights on, the AC running, and almost nobody inside. It’s a bad look.
So, the White House issued a directive—often categorized under the broader umbrella of a back to work executive order—via the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Specifically, OMB Director Shalanda Young sent out a memo (M-23-15) that basically told agency heads they needed to "substantially increase" in-person work. It wasn't a "everyone back Monday or you're fired" ultimatum, but it was a very clear nudge. Actually, it was more of a shove.
The Real Stats Behind the Desks
Let's look at the GAO report from mid-2023. They looked at 24 federal agencies. The findings were pretty grim for the pro-office crowd. Most agencies were using less than 25% of their headquarters' capacity. The Social Security Administration, HUD, and even the General Services Administration (GSA)—the people who literally manage the buildings—had massive amounts of empty space.
Politicians hate empty buildings. They see it as waste. But employees see it differently. For many, the transition to remote work was the biggest "raise" they ever got. No gas money. No $18 salads. More time with their kids. When you try to take that away with a back to work executive order, you aren't just changing their desk location; you're changing their entire life chemistry.
The Fight from the Unions and the Talent War
If you want to see a real fight, watch what happens when the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) or the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) gets a whiff of a forced return. They aren't playing around. They’ve argued, quite loudly, that productivity actually went up during the remote years.
And they have a point.
The Social Security Administration, for instance, processed millions of claims remotely. But there's a flip side. Have you tried to call a federal agency lately? The "customer service" aspect of the government is where the pro-office crowd finds their ammunition. They argue that backlogs in veteran benefits or passport processing are direct results of a disconnected, remote workforce. Whether that's actually true or just a convenient narrative is a matter of fierce debate.
Why Gen Z Doesn't Care About the "Mission" Enough to Commute
Here is the thing nobody says out loud: the government is already struggling to hire young people. If you’re a 24-year-old software engineer, are you going to take a job at a federal agency that requires you to wear slacks and sit in a cubicle, or are you going to go to a tech firm that lets you work from a van in Utah?
The back to work executive order creates a massive recruitment hurdle. We are seeing a "brain drain." High-level experts in cybersecurity or data science are leaving for the private sector the moment they are told they have to start commuting to a gray building in Maryland again. You've basically got a collision between old-school management styles—"if I can't see you, you aren't working"—and the modern reality of digital labor.
The Economic Ripple Effect in D.C.
D.C. is a company town. And the company is the U.S. Government.
When the back to work executive order momentum started picking up, it wasn't just about federal productivity. It was about taxes. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been very vocal about this. If federal workers don't come back, the dry cleaners close. The sandwich shops close. The commercial real estate market collapses, and the city loses millions in property tax revenue.
It’s a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.
- Force them back: You lose your best talent and piss off the unions.
- Keep them home: You bankrupt the nation's capital and leave taxpayers paying for empty heat.
Is It Even Legal?
Can a President just force everyone back? Sort of. Most federal employees are protected by collective bargaining agreements. This means the government can't just change the rules overnight without "negotiating." This is why the back to work executive order implementation has been so slow and patchy.
One agency might require three days a week. Another might only ask for two days a pay period. It’s a mess of "hybrid" schedules that honestly satisfies no one. The people who want to be remote are annoyed they have to go in at all, and the people who want everyone back are annoyed that the office still feels like a ghost town on Fridays.
What This Means for Your Career
If you’re looking at a government job or you’re currently in one, you need to read the writing on the wall. The era of 100% "work from anywhere" for federal employees is dying. It’s not dead, but it’s on life support.
The political pressure is too high. Even if the current administration is cautious, any future administration could double down on a back to work executive order that is much more aggressive. We’ve already seen some agencies, like the Department of Veterans Affairs, significantly ramp up their in-person requirements.
Practical Steps for Federal Workers and Contractors
If you're caught in this transition, stop waiting for things to go back to 2020. They won't.
First, check your agency's specific "reentry plan." These are public documents, usually buried on their HR or "About" pages. They detail exactly how many days are expected. Second, if you have a medical or personal reason why the commute is impossible, look into "Reasonable Accommodation" or "Hardship" transfers. These are being scrutinized more heavily now, so you’ll need actual documentation, not just a vibe.
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Third, look at your "PD" (Position Description). Some jobs are classified as "remote-eligible," and others are "telework-eligible." There is a massive legal difference. Remote means your home is your official duty station. Telework means the office is your duty station, but you’re allowed to work elsewhere sometimes. If you can get your job reclassified as fully remote, you’re much safer from the next back to work executive order.
The Bottom Line on the Back to Work Executive Order
Ultimately, this isn't just about where people sit. It's about a fundamental shift in how we value work. Is work a place you go, or a thing you do? The government is currently choosing "a place you go," mostly because of optics and real estate math.
The struggle over the back to work executive order is likely to continue for years. It will be a campaign issue. It will be a lawsuit topic. And it will definitely be the reason your favorite D.C. lunch spot either survives or goes under.
Actionable Next Steps
- Audit Your Status: Confirm if your SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action) lists your home or an office as your official duty station. This determines your pay scale and your vulnerability to RTO mandates.
- Monitor the "SHOW UP Act": This is a piece of legislation floating around Congress that aims to roll back telework to 2019 levels. If this passes, the back to work executive order will look like a polite suggestion in comparison.
- Update Your Resume: If in-person work is a dealbreaker for you, start looking at the "Remote" filter on USAJobs.gov or private sector roles now. The competition for the remaining remote federal roles is becoming incredibly fierce as the office doors swing shut.
- Engage Your Union: If you’re a member, attend the town halls. They are currently the only line of defense against sudden, unilateral changes to work-from-home policies.