Federal Workers to See More Restrictions on Telework in 2026

"In guidance published Wednesday the Office of Personnel Management said that remote work can't be used to help employees "avoid working full-time, in-person from an agency worksite on a regular and recurring basis." Telework may not be used to "shorten" the workday, either, the OPM said-signaling that the Trump administration would also purge the government of hybrid arrangements that have become common in the private sector."

"The move builds on President Donald Trump's Jan. 20 executive order that instructed agencies to take "all necessary steps" to end remote work arrangements. Forty percent of federal workers participated in some type of telework during the 2024 fiscal year, the OPM told Congress this month. The guidance provides a few narrow exceptions, including for military spouses, people with disabilities or certain medical conditions and other "compelling" reasons."

"Trump's effort to limit remote work coincided with aggressive efforts to shrink the federal government. Billionaire Elon Musk, Trump's former ally who led the Department of Government Efficiency, threatened in February to suspend employees who didn't return to the office immediately. Trump himself has said he doesn't believe in working remotely. "Nobody's going to work from home, they're going to be going out, they're gonna play tennis, they're gonna play golf," the president said in February. "They're gonna do a lot of things-they're not working.""

OPM instructed agencies to largely end telework for federal employees in 2026, limiting remote work to a few narrow circumstances. The guidance forbids using telework to avoid working full-time in-person at an agency worksite or to shorten the workday, and seeks to eliminate hybrid arrangements. The move implements President Trump's January 20 executive order to take "all necessary steps" to end remote work. Forty percent of federal workers teleworked during fiscal 2024, according to OPM. The guidance lists exceptions for military spouses, employees with disabilities or certain medical conditions, and allows situational religious telework. Administration officials and allies pushed aggressive return-to-office enforcement.

Read at Bloomberglaw