Federal workers forced to return to offices with no desks, WiFi or lights after Trump's executive order
Federal workers have reportedly been forced to return to offices with no desks, WiFi or lights after Trump’s executive order put an end to remote working.
President Trump has banned flexible working, forcing millions of workers back into the offices.
The order outlined a policy to return to ‘in-person’ working.
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In the executive order, it said: “Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.”
However, it seems that not all departments were ready for the influx of in-office workers making their return.
In one particular office for the Department of Health and Human Services, workers returned to find that there was no WiFi or even working lights for the first few hours.
In another office in Dallas for the Department of Education, employees found that cables were in piles on the floor, with wires sticking out of the walls.
Speaking to CNN, one anonymous worker said: “The only thing a return to the office has given me is an hour of traffic while driving and a loss in efficiency.”
A lot of agencies in the government set February 24 as a first date for employees to comply with the new office working rules.
In a conservative political conference held last month, Trump said: “If they don’t report for work, we’re firing them. In other words, you have to go to [the] office.”
Another federal employee said: “The only way RTO (return-to-office) works in these types of situations is if you now reduce the number of people.”
Elon Musk has been vocal of his thoughts on remote working since becoming a close advisor of the president.
The billionaire took on the role of head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump’s inauguration in January, where he has been tasked with making cuts to federal spending.
So far, it has been reported that he has slashed $1 billion from the federal budget, most of which is from canceling contracts and making mass layoffs.
In a previous interview in 2023, Musk said that working from home was ‘morally wrong’.
He said: “Get off the goddamn moral high horse with the work from home bulls***.”