Dive Brief

• President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to fire federal workers who refuse to return to the office during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on December 16, 2024. He criticized the previous administration's five-year waiver that allowed remote work, labeling it a gift to unions.

• Trump stated, "If people don’t come back to work, they’re going to be dismissed," highlighting his intention to challenge the existing policies in court.

• His remarks come shortly after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy called for a federal return-to-office mandate to encourage voluntary resignations in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Dive Insight

• Trump's comments likely reference a recent agreement between the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Social Security Administration, which allows employees to telework between two to five days a week until 2029. This has sparked a potential legal battle involving federal unions and workers with disabilities.

• The AFGE responded to Trump’s remarks, asserting that telework has enhanced productivity and efficiency within the federal government. AFGE President Everett Kelley emphasized that claims of widespread telework are exaggerated, stating, "More than half of federal employees cannot telework at all."

• The pushback against returning to the office is not unique to federal workers; many in the private sector are also resisting post-pandemic office mandates. Notably, the U.S. Department of Labor has mandated that remote employees return to the office, contrasting with the hybrid solutions negotiated for SSA workers.

• While Trump may have support from figures like Musk and Ramaswamy, legal barriers could impede a sweeping return to the office. Union contracts and disability accommodations under the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission could challenge any attempts to enforce such a mandate.