Senator Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) recent claims that only 6 percent of federal employees work in person full-time, while nearly one-third work remotely on a full-time basis, have reignited debates about telework in the federal government.

Her report, which is extremely critical of remote work, aligns with the agenda of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency spearheaded by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Yet data from the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, the White House Office of Personnel Management and other credible sources tell a different story. These agencies have published data underscoring the numerous benefits of telework for productivity, cost savings, retention and operational efficiency.

These are neutral, nonpartisan government sources, compared to Ernst, a politician now in-cycle who has long expressed a strong bias against telework. Given that, we should take her perspective with a grain of salt and instead trust the high-quality data we have available.

The White House Office of Management and budget published an August 2024 report that directly contradicts many of Ernst’s assertions. The report provided a detailed breakdown of telework eligibility and participation. Approximately 50 percent of federal employees are ineligible for telework due to job duties requiring in-person attendance, such as managing public lands, conducting inspections or delivering health care services.

Among those who are eligible to telework, about 61 percent of their work hours are spent on-site, with many employees participating in hybrid work arrangements. This data contradicts Ernst’s narrative, which largely overlooks the prevalence and efficiency of hybrid work models.

How does this break down for individual agencies? A November 2024 report from the Government Accountability Office evaluated four agencies — the Farm Service Agency, the IRS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Veterans Benefits Administration. Telework ranged from minimal (only 11 percent of total hours worked at the Farm Service Agency) to robust (VBA telework stood at 66 percent of total hours).

Agency representatives shared with the Government Accountability Office that shifts in telework policies have influenced recruitment, hiring and retention in diverse ways. The IRS noted that telework........

© The Hill