After President Donald Trump directed agencies to return the federal workforce to the office full-time, many federal employees said productivity will suffer under a blanket return-to-office mandate, according to the results of a Federal News Network survey.

Many survey respondents said the Trump administration should look more closely at the massive variations in jobs across government — and therefore the need for variations in telework policies too. Some respondents who filled out Federal News Network’s online survey of more than 4,600 federal employees expressed concerns about potential negative impacts of a “one-size-fits-all” return-to-office mandate.

“They need to look at individual agencies and individual jobs,” one survey respondent wrote. “Some jobs just do not need to be done in office — and some absolutely should.”

Currently, more than half of the federal workforce reports to work onsite due to the nature of their jobs. Employees who are eligible for telework are spending about 60% of their work hours, on average, in the office. Trump’s executive action Monday called on agencies to return their federal employees to fully in-office work “as soon as practicable.”

It’s unclear how or when Trump’s return-to-office directive to agencies will be implemented, but many feds in the survey felt negatively about the potential end results of the mandate as it’s written. When asked what factors would be most adversely impacted under a return-to-office order, close to 71% of Federal News Network survey respondents said the commute — making it the number one selection among survey takers. Work-life balance was the second-most selected option, with 68% saying it would worsen under a return-to-office mandate. 

About 60% of respondents said employee recruitment and retention would worsen under a return to office. About 53% selected productivity, followed by the ability to manage personal needs, such as childcare or elder care.

“I’ve been caring for my 82-year-old dad,” one respondent wrote. “I was able to work two days from home, which was great. For zero reason, my employer changed this policy, and now I am forced to return five days a week. It’s been a real challenge.”

“Parents — especially mothers — often feel torn between a career and a family, even in the year 2025,” another respondent wrote. “Telework and remote work opportunities can ameliorate those fears by allowing folks to remain in their professional positions, while also being as present as possible for their growing children.”

In an open-ended survey question, some respondents said they believed there were political motivations behind Trump’s return-to-office executive action this week.

“This has nothing to do with productivity or results and is all political,” one respondent wrote. “Federal employees currently feel completely demoralized by this administration.”

“This is a baseless and punitive effort to target federal employees and reduce the size of federal agencies through resignations,” another respondent wrote.

Leaders of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, a nongovernmental advisory panel, have also said they would “welcome” terminations of federal employees that result from a return-to-office order.