EL PASO COUNTY — President Donald Trump signed dozens of executive orders during the first week of his second term in office, many of them fulfilling his campaign promises on everything from southern border security to moving to declassify John F Kennedy’s assassination records.
One of his first orders was a “Return to in-person work” for federal civilian employees.
The order is short but could have far-reaching implications in the weeks and years ahead for the federal workforce.
“Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, 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, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.
This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.”
Large numbers of Americans have shifted to remote or hybrid work in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Flexible work options are often cited for better work-life balance for employees.
President Trump’s order could have a bigger impact in southern Colorado compared to other portions of the country due to the military installations and large federal workforce in El Paso County.
“Some people don't like them, but they are part of how employers compete for talent. And the federal government is constrained sometimes in what they can do in terms of salary,” said Dr. Bill Craighead, director of the UCCS Economic Forum.
“Being able to offer more flexibility or more job security are ways of potentially making up for not being able to offer as much in terms of salary. So this, longer term, may affect the quality of the federal workforce and their ability to hire and retain people.”
According to federal data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are almost 13,000 federal civilian workers in El Paso County. They make up 3.8% of the civilian workforce, which is about double the percentage nationally.
Watch How President Trump's Executive Order Could Impact Local Employees
Dr. Craighead noted it’s impossible to know how many of them work remotely or on a hybrid schedule, but predicted it would cause some turnover based on a recent study about return-to-office mandates.
“[The study] found that employers that announced return-to-office mandates experienced higher turnover and disproportionately lost women, disproportionately lost more senior people, disproportionately lost more experienced people,” Craighead said.
But with President Trump, Republicans, and billionaire Elon Musk heading the new Department of Government Efficiency proclaiming they want to cut down the federal government, turnover from this executive order might not be a large concern.
Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow @brettforrestTVon X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
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Union workers at King Soopers stores in Pueblo are set to go on strike on Friday
The announcement came from Local 7 President Kim Kordova on Thursday during a news conference, according to Scripps News Denver.
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