Guide to Telework and Remote Work in the Federal Government

CPM 2025-24 December 31, 2025 Memorandum for Chief Human Capital Officers From: Veronica E. Hinton Associate Director Workforce Policy and Innovation Subject: Guide to Telework and Remote Work in the Federal Government

On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum (PM) titled, Return to In-Person Work, which instructed Executive department and agency heads to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis.” The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a revised Guide to Telework and Remote Work in the Federal Government (Guide) to assist agencies in amending their telework and remote work policies consistent with the PM, agency return to in-person work implementation plans, and related statutory requirements. The Guide supplements and incorporates other issued guidance including OPM’s January 22, 2025, memorandum providing guidance on the PM, the joint OPM and Office and Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum issued on January 27, 2025, providing further guidance on agency return to office implementation plans, and OPM’s March 20, 2025 frequently asked questions on return to in-person work. OPM is required to issue telework guidance under 5 U.S.C. 6504(b)(1). This Guide satisfies that requirement by providing an overview of the acceptable types of telework and remote work arrangements, agency roles and responsibilities, and additional guidance to assist agencies in developing telework and remote work policies in alignment with the PM and related OPM and OMB policy guidance. Agencies should carefully review their current telework and remote work policies and procedures for compliance with this Guide. This revised Guide will assist agencies in establishing telework and remote work policies that are uniform across the Federal Government. While telework and remote work can be an effective tool to ensure the continuity of Federal Government operations in emergencies, such work arrangements should generally not be used in a manner that would permit Federal employees to avoid working full-time, in-person from an agency worksite absent approved exemptions

based on disability, qualifying medical condition or other compelling reason certified by the agency head. Agencies should establish policies and procedures to verify (1) employees are working full-time, in-person at an agency worksite (or taking approved leave) and not using telework or remote work to shorten the workday when not approved by management and (2) that all in-person, telework, and remote work hours are accurately recorded in time and attendance and payroll systems and reported to OPM. Additionally, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 6505, the head of each Executive agency must designate an employee of the agency as the Telework Managing Officer (TMO) who must be established within the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer or a comparable office with similar functions. To provide for better coordination of telework and remote work policies, OPM is requesting the contact information of each agency TMO. By no later than Friday, January 16, 2026, please provide the name, email address, and phone number of your agency TMO to teleworkpolicy@opm.gov. OPM remains committed to supporting agencies in developing workforce strategies that promote maximum efficiency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility as stewards of American taxpayers’ dollars. Additional Information For additional information, agency headquarters-level human resources offices may contact OPM at teleworkpolicy@opm.gov. Component-level human resources offices must contact their agency headquarters for assistance. Employees must contact their agency human resources offices for further information on this memorandum. cc: Deputy Chief Human Capital Officers and Human Resources Directors Attachment: Guide to Telework and Remote Work in the Federal Government