Employees at various federal government agencies across the U.S. have encountered challenges as they return to their office buildings after being ordered back full-time by President Donald Trump on January 20. Many workers have faced issues such as cockroach infestations, lack of desks, and inadequate facilities, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Staff at NASA headquarters in Washington, for example, have dealt with cockroach infestations and have had to work without proper desks. In some regional offices of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, finding desks has been likened to a cutthroat competition similar to “The Hunger Games.” Additionally, at an Internal Revenue Service office in Memphis, tax assessors sharing a training room have had difficulties addressing sensitive tax matters over the phone due to privacy concerns.
Critics of the return-to-office order, including governance experts, federal union representatives, and civil servants, believe that the lack of preparation is intentional and aimed at making office environments unpleasant to compel more employees to resign. President Trump aims to reduce and restructure the federal civilian workforce, a move that has raised concerns among experts.
The push to return to office work is seen as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration, supported by tech billionaire Elon Musk, to streamline government operations. While Trump and Musk assert that their objective is to make the government more cost-effective and eliminate inefficiencies, some employees and experts argue that the rushed return to work lacks careful planning and consideration of logistical challenges.
The Office of Personnel Management emphasizes the need for in-person work to enhance collaboration and service delivery, while the General Services Administration and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been working to address reported issues at federal facilities. Despite these efforts, federal employees continue to face difficulties as they navigate the transition back to office work.
Employees in federal offices are facing challenges such as fights over desks and chairs, internet outages, and a lack of parking spaces. Some are resorting to sitting on floors or using personal smartphone hotspots for computer access to government data. Three memos were sent to staff, notifying them that they may not have a workspace or internet access upon their return. For instance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cannot guarantee desks or parking spots for the 18,000 employees expected to return. Reports include a manager at the IRS sitting on the floor with a laptop due to the lack of desk space, and an IRS human resources official working out of a supply closet. Over 100,000 federal workers have left following layoffs or buyouts. Labor unions believe the chaotic return-to-office plan is a deliberate tactic to drive more workers out. The return to office is causing inefficiencies, with workers citing chaos, unproductivity, and facility issues like bugs and lack of seating. NASA employees have reported resorting to taking meetings in their cars due to noise and overcrowding inside their workspace. Some employees are concerned about long commutes and traffic, leading them to arrive early and sleep in their vehicles before starting work. NASA’s spokesperson stated that while addressing concerns, the agency has ample space to accommodate its workforce.
Following Trump’s January inauguration, it was revealed that only 6% of federal employees were working in person, with government data indicating limited remote work opportunities. Approximately 46% of federal workers, totaling 1.1 million individuals, were eligible for remote work, and around 228,000 of them had transitioned to working fully remotely, either from home or a combination thereof, as per a report from the Office of Management and Budget in August.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shift to remote work, some government agencies opted to downsize their office spaces to cut costs, exacerbating the already existing space constraints. For instance, the Office of Justice Programs within the Justice Department relocated from a building with eight floors and a full parking garage in Chinatown to a nearby facility with four floors and limited parking levels just before former President Joe Biden’s departure. This new location, with 157 parking spaces for 400 employees, is causing logistical challenges, prompting early arrivals and heightened anxiety among staff members struggling to concentrate on their tasks.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice emphasized the expectation, set by Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi, for federal employees to report to the office, likening it to the working norm for millions of Americans. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser views the return-to-office directive positively, seeing it as a step towards rejuvenating the city’s economy through increased federal worker presence. However, the impact of this mandate is reverberating nationwide, with reports of discomfort and inconvenience among federal workers, such as immigration staff in Chicago who temporarily found themselves working in cramped storage room setups.
The sentiment from authorities remains clear – federal employees, financed by taxpayer dollars, are expected to fulfill their duties in the workplace. Despite claims of adequate workspace for all employees by spokespersons from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, stories of space constraints, chaotic work environments, and logistical challenges persist, as illustrated by accounts from employees at the Department of Agriculture headquarters. Amidst these challenges, efforts are ongoing to ensure operational efficiency and accommodate the workforce’s needs.
(Reporting by Tim Reid, Ted Hesson, Sarah N. Lynch, and Leah Douglas; Editing by Ross Colvin and Michael Learmonth)
