In a recent announcement, the Trump administration has stated that federal employees now have the option to work from home or adjust their hours to accommodate religious fasts and prayers. This decision comes after an initial requirement for employees to report to offices full-time, which was ordered by President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day.
The Office of Personnel Management has emphasized the importance of agencies taking a lenient approach in allowing employees to work remotely before and during religious holidays. Agency director Scott Kupor stressed that employees seeking to observe fasting periods during the workday should be granted permission to work from home. Any denial of remote work requests for religious reasons must be backed up with evidence of significant operational impact.
This policy shift represents a departure from the previous stance of the Trump administration, which had criticized remote work arrangements for federal employees. The administration had threatened consequences for employees not reporting to the office, although military spouses were later exempted from this requirement.
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO involved in the cost-cutting efforts under the Trump administration, expressed concern that revoking remote work privileges could lead to a wave of resignations. Prior to this announcement, over half of the federal civilian workforce had the option to work remotely at least some of the time, with 10% working entirely remotely, as reported by a Biden administration study in May 2024.
