President-elect Donald Trump warned federal employees last week that they must return to the office, or "they're going to be dismissed" - an announcement which comes on the heels of several major corporations taking swift action to end work-from-home, a pandemic-era policy that saw a considerable portion of the US workforce adapt to remote work.

During the pandemic, approximately 2.3 million federal employees shifted away from traditional office spaces. This shift was not just a temporary adjustment, but a transformational move that many hoped would persist post-pandemic due to its perceived benefits in work-life balance and reduced operational costs.

The Biden administration, acknowledging these benefits, continued to support telework, facilitating the reduction of government-owned real estate and integrating flexible work arrangements into the fabric of federal employment. However, with Trump's election, a quick pivot is on the horizon.

Unsurprisingly, Trump's call for a return to office has been met with resistance from federal employees and unions. Approximately 56 percent of the civil service is covered under collective bargaining agreements that include telework provisions, while a full 10% of federal jobs are now designated as fully "remote," according to the Washington Post.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, agrees with Trump.

"The pandemic is long over, and it is past time for the federal workforce to return to in-person work," Comer said in a statement - adding that the Biden administration never provided evidence that work-from-home didn't harm service.

"On the contrary, the evidence suggests that Americans have suffered under these lenient telework policies," Comer added.

Other GOP lawmakers have introduced bills mandating that chronically "absent" employees be seen in their office chairs, and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who leads a caucus aligned with Musk and Ramaswamy's commission, said this month that she tracked down "bureaucrats relaxing in bubble baths, playing golf, getting arrested, and doing just about everything besides their jobs." -WaPo