#Federal employees return to the office#

Recently, a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen revealed on a podcast that the U.S. government's Department of Efficiency and Government Effectiveness (DOGE) is planning to push for an increase in the number of days federal employees work from the office. Currently, federal office buildings in Washington D.C. have an average occupancy rate of just 25%, with many employees working from the office only one or two days a month, and some even going just two days in two months. Andreessen questioned whether this model aligns with the demands of being a federal employee, and pointed out that the DOGE has come up with "innovative ideas" to cut government spending and streamline regulations. He argued that the prevalence of remote work currently poses a challenge to work efficiency, and questioned whether the president has the authority to mandate a return to the office for federal employees. Previously, former Trump advisors Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy had proposed cutting $2 trillion in "government waste," with reports indicating that only 6% of federal employees work regularly from the office. Musk even pointed out that the percentage of employees working full-time from the office could be as low as 1% after excluding security and maintenance staff. Currently, the DOGE's plan is still in the suggestion phase, but Andreessen's comments have sparked concern and discussion about the working model of federal employees.