DC government changes telework policy for its office workers

D.C. government will limit how many days its office workers can work remotely to one per week beginning in March.

Some D.C. employees – like first responders and teachers – have been working in-person fulltime for years, but others have had the flexibility to work from home two days a week.

“It’s about the services that we provide to our residents, and we are a local government, and we need to be there to do that,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

The District sent a letter to employees Monday reading, in part, “To enhance our engagement with the community, foster a more collaborative work environment, and support the local economy, the District Government will be shifting from 2 routine telework days per week to 1 day per week … Our presence in the District is more than just a physical requirement – it's about being a visible, active part of the community.”

Some exceptions to the rule are allowed.

“If there is a medical reason that we believe is a reasonable accommodation, those sorts of exemptions will continue,” Director of Human Resources Charles Hall said.

The nationwide trend has been to bring more workers back, Hall said. Employees can choose to work four 10-hour days a week.

“Of course, we are in-tune with the fact that persons acclimated to a new approach to work, what we did and what we’re doing with this approach is we’re not taking that away,” Hall said.

The new rule does not apply to D.C. Council employees. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said each councilmember decides telework protocols for their own employees, but by-and-large, they’re also abiding by the one-day-a-week policy.

He hopes the federal government changes its policies soon.

“I do recognize there’s a value to some flexibility,” he said. “We – the District government, both the Council and the mayor – have been calling on the federal government to send its workers back, and the mayor is clearly trying to lead by example.”

The new policy goes into effect March 10.