On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a series of sweeping executive orders, including one that mandates the end of remote work for all departments and agencies within the executive branch. This new directive, which cancels the remote work policies established by former President Joe Biden’s administration during the COVID-19 pandemic, is aimed at bringing employees back to their physical workplaces.
The executive order, titled Return to In-Person Work, emphasizes that all federal employees must resume working at their duty stations full-time unless deemed absolutely necessary by their department heads. Exemptions to this rule are allowed only in unavoidable situations.
In addition to the remote work mandate, President Trump also imposed a hiring freeze on all federal civilian positions. This freeze prohibits the filling of vacant positions or the creation of new ones unless explicitly exempted by law or other provisions. The hiring freeze applies across all executive departments and agencies, irrespective of their funding sources.
However, military personnel, those working in national security, immigration enforcement, or public safety are excluded from these orders. The directive also ensures that critical services like Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ benefits remain unaffected by the hiring freeze, with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management authorized to grant exceptions where necessary.
This decisive action reflects President Trump’s approach to streamline federal operations and strengthen the return to a traditional workforce structure.
