Agencies given July 19 deadline to finalize plans for return to in-person work

Agencies across the federal government have been given a deadline of July 19 to finalize plans for bringing staff back to work in person.

In an internal email sent on behalf of the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, departments have been told this is the deadline by which procedures and policies must be ready to implement.

All federal agencies are being required to submit draft approaches to return to work policies by June 18 to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and will receive feedback on their submissions.

The draft proposals will be reviewed by OMB, the Office of Personnel Management, and the General Services Administration.

“The Task Force, in collaboration with OMB, OPM, and GSA, is sharing an update today that agencies will need to have finalized their plans for both reentry and post-reentry procedures and policies by July 19,” the email said. “Agencies may submit [finalized details] earlier at their discretion.”

Specifications for agencies’ final plans include the requirement that they work out a phased return schedule for staff, give plenty of notice to employees, and satisfy their collective bargaining obligations.

Planning for the return to in-person work of federal government employees is being convened by the President’s Management Council and led by the OMB, GSA and OPM.

Earlier today, Axios reported that White House employees will be invited to return to work in July, indicating the potential end of the pandemic protocols for some federal employees.

In a memo sent to the White House Office and Office of the Vice President, staff have been informed that they will start working full time on-campus between July 6 and July 23.