More and more federal agencies are announcing a return to office (RTO), such as the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) mandating that its approximately 400,000 employees return to the office for at least half of their workweek. These announcements are part of a larger political drama that raises important questions about talent retention in federal employment.
The Biden administration at first defended remote work for federal employees as boosting retention. Yet Republicans in Congress pushed hard to end WFH benefits, and so did the Democratic Mayor of Washington DC. Given this bipartisan pressure, the Biden administration flip-flopped its position, with the White House Chief of Staff demanding that federal agencies “aggressively execute” an RTO in the Fall.
In this context, many senior federal agency human resource executives feel trapped between a rock and hard place. They believe that ending telework will result in losing many talented staff and thus impair their ability to serve the public, yet still need to fulfill the top-level directives.
It’s similar to the position that many private sector HR leaders find themselves in, except for the overarching polarized political context and much more challenging retention dynamics. After all, many people work in the public sector for a lower salary in exchange for better labor conditions. If they can get better labor conditions in the form of more flexibility in the private sector, along with a higher salary, what’s keeping them in government employment?
Survey Data on Telework
And data indicates the fears of these HR executives are valid. For example, an internal EPA survey uncovered overwhelming support for remote work. 65.9% percent said they would consider leaving EPA if flexibility was reduced, and a shockingly high 97% of employees surveyed said flexibility has helped them be more productive. No wonder that Bethany Dreyfus, president of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1236, which represents EPA Region 9 employees, defended the benefits of flexibility.
A recent survey, this time conducted by the AFGE itself, focused on the National Science Foundation (NSF), in response to NSF’s announcement that most of its employees would need to work in the office at least four days per two-week pay period, starting October 23. A total of 42% said they would have difficulty adjusting to the new four-day in-office requirement. Even more alarming, another 27% labeled the new office expectations as “unworkable,” stating they would either find a new job or retire. Jesús Soriano, president of AFGE Local 3403, emphasized that the survey’s results should prompt NSF leadership to reconsider the impacts of their decisions on both productivity and the agency’s mission.
A final survey by Federal Times, which polled more than 960 federal workers across various agencies, shows that federal workers are taking actions on their concerns.
According to this survey, half of federal employees have applied for a new job since agencies were told to initiate return-to-office plans in 2021. This includes jobs both in and out of government, and more than a third of those who left government jobs cited the ability to work remotely as the deciding factor, while another 30% said it weighed heavily on their decision.
This data reinforces the idea that remote work isn’t merely a perk but a substantial factor influencing employee retention across federal agencies. Interestingly, the survey also touched upon the power unions hold in these negotiations. Around 60% of respondents felt that unions had “some power” to protect telework preferences.
What Should Agencies Do?
These statistics underline the high stakes involved in poorly executed RTO plans. But what should federal agency HR executives actually do? The key is getting employee and union buy-in, while offering flexibility and meaningful choices.
Start by administering a detailed survey to your staff. The questions should not only be focused on the basic preferences around remote and office work, but they should also delve into the deeper metrics that are often overlooked—such as well-being, stress levels, and the nuanced differences between individual and collaborative tasks in various settings.
Next, organize focus groups based on the surveys. Select a microcosm of your organization, including various departments and hierarchical levels. If your surveys offer you a quantifiable landscape of employee sentiment, the focus groups provide the intricate details that offer rich, context-specific insights that could fundamentally influence your RTO strategy.
Discuss the findings with your leadership team and adjust your RTO plans based on this information. Next, share what you discovered and what you changed with your employees. Make them feel heard and considered, even if the final plan doesn’t align perfectly with individual preferences, which facilitates their buy-in and reduces attrition and resistance.
Conclusion
In the face of bipartisan political pressures and evolving work dynamics, recent mandates for federal employees to return to the office poses significant risks to talent retention and operational effectiveness. The data is clear: federal employees value flexibility, and reductions in flexibility contribute to attrition and decreased job satisfaction.
Any attempt at a successful RTO strategy must be deeply data-driven and adaptive, incorporating both quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups. Importantly, involving union leaders can add a layer of credibility and fairness. Therefore, to square the circle, agencies need to adopt a tailored, hybrid approach that aligns with both employee expectations and the practical needs of public service.
