Balancing Expectations: Agency Leaders Need Help Navigating Return-to-Office Policies for Federal Employees

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the Biden administration issued a return-to-office memo in April with the aim of optimizing federal employee satisfaction, customer experience, and in-office work within federal buildings.  

However, concerns remain among employees regarding workplace safety, productivity, work-life balance, and increased costs. While acknowledging the importance of balancing workplace flexibility with meaningful in-person work, federal workers are concerned they’ll be issued heavy-handed policy that no longer meets their professional or personal expectations.  

The 19-page memo instructs deputy secretaries to develop Work Environment Plans that analyze agency satisfaction scores for employees and customers. It emphasizes the need for timely actions to address underperformance and meet performance objectives and customer expectations. 

Many questions linger

However, the memo has left many federal employees and executives with more questions than answers.  

With many organizations surveying employees, we know that employee concerns include: 

• Workplace safety and health risks
• Negative impact on productivity and performance
• Lack of accessibility and slow response to reasonable accommodations
• Disrupted work-life balance, managing childcare and other responsibilities
• Increased costs associated with commuting and returning to the office

Finding value in being “together in one place”

But the memo acknowledges the importance of balancing workplace flexibility policies with substantial increase in meaningful in-person work at federal offices, particularly at headquarters levels. 

Research across the board shows that meeting with people in person has significant advantages in:  

• Promoting collaboration, spontaneous discussions, and collegiality  
• Expanding professional networks with access to SMEs, mentors, and leaders 
• Ensuring better separation between work and personal life, promoting a healthier work-life balance  
• Reduction in misunderstandings and delays, facilitating efficient decision-making and problem-solving when working on complex projects 
• Access to specialized resources and equipment 

However, there are concerns that some agency supervisors may narrowly interpret the memo and focus solely on increasing in-office work, rather than considering the holistic aspects of employee and customer experiences. 

Agency supervisors need agency, accountability, and data to set appropriate policies

The OMB memo emphasizes the need to consider both employee and customer experiences and aligns with the administration’s goals of using data and evidence to shape policy decisions. 

At OPEXUS, we want to understand what federal employees, not the President or Congress, think qualifies as “meaningful in-person work,” so we can help your teams get the tools they need no matter where they’re logging in from.