Dear USDA colleagues,  

This summer marks an inflection point for our country. More than has been the case for several years, we are able to make freer choices about how, where, and with whom we spend our time, now that the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended. 

Looking back on what we’ve overcome, I want to extend a special acknowledgement and thanks to the thousands of USDA employees who continued to report to your regular duty stations throughout the pandemic—like inspecting meat and poultry and fighting fires—because the nature of this essential work means that it cannot be done remotely. Those USDA employees were among the many heroes who helped the rest of us get through a tough period. At the same time, those who had no choice but to work remotely continued to perform their duties through unbelievable disruption to your daily lives. 

Over the past 30 months, USDA has achieved great things and made transformational changes that will benefit Americans for decades. Regardless of where you work, you have risen to the occasion time after time, day after day. Because of you, we are delivering our mission. 

We now have an opportunity to consider all that the pandemic taught us – about our resilience as a nation, about our individual priorities and values, and about so many of the choices we make. As we look to the future, we must also make sure our department is in the strongest possible position to recruit and retain talent, deliver for our stakeholders and facilitate a positive work environment.

That’s why, as part of a long-term transition as we continue to gain new information about what the future of work looks like for USDA now that the public health emergency has ended, we are announcing some initial workplace changes that primarily will affect managers and supervisors in the National Capital Region. 

Beginning Sept. 10, 2023, telework eligible managers and supervisors in the National Capital Region (NCR) will work at least 50 percent of their on-duty time per pay period in-person. USDA leaders, managers and supervisors are instrumental to our organizational success and our workplace environment, and this will ensure they are more consistently available for in-person interactions with employees and colleagues and onsite activities. Additionally in the NCR, Mission Areas, Agencies and Staff Offices will determine two core days per pay period for managers and supervisors and one core day per pay period for all other eligible telework employees at the appropriate organizational level for all participating telework employees to work together in-person at the government office worksite. All employing organizations with potential bargaining obligations should plan accordingly to meet the September 2023 implementation date. 

Our Departmental Administration and Office of Budget and Program Analysis teams will spend the remainder of the year refining and deploying metrics to help identify performance standards and organizational health under our current policies, which we will review before determining whether to make further modifications to USDA’s telework policy. Through this process we will continue to strive to provide sufficient notice to allow impacted employees time to adjust to future changes and reduce the disruption to new obligations and daily life cadences you may have developed over the past few years. 

These updates build on a responsive progression of workplace policy changes that we have put in place over the past two years to account for evolving demands of the pandemic, our strategic priorities, and employee well-being. Effective November 2021, USDA revised the telework policy to account for employees’ priority on workplace flexibility and expanded remote work beyond pre-pandemic limitations. These changes made our policy consistent with what it was the last time I was Secretary, and feedback shows they have helped increase employee morale and improve USDA’s status as a competitive employer. At the same time, over the past few years, technology and the cultural norms around how we work have changed considerably.  To consider these changes, we instituted a future of work working group that prompted planning for a time when COVID-19 would no longer drive where and how we deliver our missions. The working group surveyed employees, assessed our organizational performance, and studied research by outside experts. We found an emerging recognition of the need for better work-life balance, and the expense of a massive and costly real estate portfolio, all pointed to the need for a flexible approach that enables staff to continue to telework with frequency while adding more structure and intentionality to in-person time spent together. 

In making the changes announced today, I want to emphasize that our overarching goal is to ensure USDA is a welcoming and competitive workplace that provides excellent service to our many customers and stakeholders. I also acknowledge that there is much difference of opinion about the relative merits and downsides of telework and remote work. Like most large employers, the Federal Government is navigating this issue, and at the direction of the Office of Management and Budget each department is considering how to proceed given their different situations. For now, increasing in-person work by managers and supervisors in the NCR, encouraging more in-person work by all, and continuing to establish and monitor performance metrics gives USDA the best chance to be successful. 

Accompanying this message, you will find a memo from USDA’s Office of Human Resources which outlines the key points of this policy shift in more detail. You can also find additional details in the FAQs which will be updated as needed to reflect additional incoming questions.  

To help address any questions about these changes, feel free to reach out to your Human Resources professionals as usual. In addition, in late July and into August we will schedule a series of Office Hours where you can ask our Human Resources professionals about this instruction. Stay tuned for more details in the days ahead and I hope you will join me in conversation about how we can embrace this change together and find a balance between flexibility and community that meets the moment. Questions can be directed to futureofwork@usda.gov. 

Have a great summer and be sure to take time to be with your loved ones.  

Sincerely,

Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack