Last week, employees of an Agriculture Department office in the South began reporting for full-time in-person work, following President Donald Trump’s directive to end remote and telework arrangements for federal employees.
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But in a turn of events that underscores the whiplash effect of Trump administration actions in recent weeks, those employees learned the next day that the government had canceled its lease at the building, effective this spring, as part of another directive meant to improve government efficiency.
“We don’t really know what this means,” said one worker at the office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “We can’t telework, but we aren’t going to have an office in a couple of months?”
Across the country, workers who were just ordered back to the office have now learned that their agencies will no longer occupy those buildings, leaving them scrambling to figure out how to honor Trump’s return-to-office mandate with vastly fewer offices.
The mandate has led to a great deal of chaos, even as it continues to roll out, with many employees currently required to report in person and others’ deadlines coming this month. Workers have reported being compelled to kill time in hallways while they wait for their turn at desks in overcapacity offices, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency directed managers to flip a coin to resolve some conflicts over scarce workspaces.
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The push by Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service and its allies in the Trump administration to cancel hundreds of leases has only increased the turmoil. Remote workers who have contemplated moving or reorienting their lives around new commutes to report to faraway offices are now being told those office leases are ending. This confusion comes on top of the anxiety wrought by repeated firings of large numbers of employees, as well as a string of lawsuits and court orders that have left many federal workers unsure of whether, and where, they’ll continue to have a job.
Employees of an Interior Department office in the Midwest were likewise required to report for full-time office work beginning Feb. 24. The next day, the landlord of the building walked in and announced that the General Services Administration, which manages federal offices, had canceled the building’s lease, effective late August, said an employee of the office.
“He was kind of stunned,” said the employee, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The leadership of the office “didn’t know this was happening,” he said. “They didn’t know it was going to happen. Everyone’s under the assumption it came via GSA and via whoever’s pulling GSA’s strings.”
Last week, the GSA launched a “Space Match” program to provide desk space for remote workers returning to the office who don’t live near their own agency’s buildings. Some agencies have begun hosting workers employed by other offices or rolled out plans to do so — only to also be told their leases are now ending.
Get concise answers to your questions. Try Ask The Post AI.But in a turn of events that underscores the whiplash effect of Trump administration actions in recent weeks, those employees learned the next day that the government had canceled its lease at the building, effective this spring, as part of another directive meant to improve government efficiency.
“We don’t really know what this means,” said one worker at the office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “We can’t telework, but we aren’t going to have an office in a couple of months?”
Across the country, workers who were just ordered back to the office have now learned that their agencies will no longer occupy those buildings, leaving them scrambling to figure out how to honor Trump’s return-to-office mandate with vastly fewer offices.
The mandate has led to a great deal of chaos, even as it continues to roll out, with many employees currently required to report in person and others’ deadlines coming this month. Workers have reported being compelled to kill time in hallways while they wait for their turn at desks in overcapacity offices, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency directed managers to flip a coin to resolve some conflicts over scarce workspaces.
Advertisement
End of carousel
The push by Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service and its allies in the Trump administration to cancel hundreds of leases has only increased the turmoil. Remote workers who have contemplated moving or reorienting their lives around new commutes to report to faraway offices are now being told those office leases are ending. This confusion comes on top of the anxiety wrought by repeated firings of large numbers of employees, as well as a string of lawsuits and court orders that have left many federal workers unsure of whether, and where, they’ll continue to have a job.
Employees of an Interior Department office in the Midwest were likewise required to report for full-time office work beginning Feb. 24. The next day, the landlord of the building walked in and announced that the General Services Administration, which manages federal offices, had canceled the building’s lease, effective late August, said an employee of the office.
“He was kind of stunned,” said the employee, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The leadership of the office “didn’t know this was happening,” he said. “They didn’t know it was going to happen. Everyone’s under the assumption it came via GSA and via whoever’s pulling GSA’s strings.”
Last week, the GSA launched a “Space Match” program to provide desk space for remote workers returning to the office who don’t live near their own agency’s buildings. Some agencies have begun hosting workers employed by other offices or rolled out plans to do so — only to also be told their leases are now ending.
