The facts are in: Trump's return-to-office mandate backfired

"Government Accountability Office investigators tracked telework at the Social Security Administration from July 2019 through May 2025 and found a sharp cliff after the White House memo. Telework hours fell from 35 percent of total hours in January through March 2025 to 13 percent in April through May 2025, a drop that matched the new posture. That speed matters, because SSA employees had built their lives and budgets around flexibility."

"Agency leaders told investigators that telework acted as a recruitment lever during a tight labor market. In a fiscal 2023 new-hire survey, more than half of new employees said telework ranked as a very important factor in applying and accepting the job. Managers also described candidates who expected hybrid schedules as a baseline benefit, especially in high traffic metro areas."

A signed Jan. 20, 2025 return-to-office memo sharply reduced telework at the Social Security Administration, cutting telework hours from 35 percent to 13 percent between January–March 2025 and April–May 2025. Telework had been a key recruitment lever, with more than half of 2023 new hires calling it very important and many candidates expecting hybrid schedules. About 37 percent of employees planned to leave within a year, and nearly half of those cited telework options as a factor. Resignations increase public wait times and slow decisions. Telework performs best when leaders manage, measure, and use it to retain skills.

Read at The Hill