The Office of Personnel Management is preparing for a “mass offboarding” of remote employees it didn’t exempt from return-to-office plans, as well as employees who accept voluntary separation incentives ahead of layoff plans.

In February, OPM gave remote employees more than 50 miles away from the office an ultimatum: Agree to a “management-directed reassignment” and relocate to office space in another geographic region, or accept termination from their jobs.

OPM told employees it would cover relocation expenses for employees who accept reassignment, and gave employees until March 7 to make their decision.

But in an email sent last Friday, OPM told employees “it is unlikely we will have the financial resources to relocate a significant number of employees who are greater than 50 miles from an OPM site.”

OPM’s return-to-office plans are expected to have a significant impact on its workforce. An OPM employee previously told Federal News Network that about 40% of the agency’s workforce currently works remotely.

OPM previously told employee it had identified nine locations as duty stations with “potential capacity” for current agency employees to begin working on-site full-time.

The locations included OPM’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C., as well as agency offices located across Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.

In January, acting OPM Director Charles Ezell said OPM is reviewing its facilities to determine how much space is available for all employees to work on-site, and is working with the General Services Administration on the availability of additional space.

President Donald Trump signed a memo on his first day in office directing all federal employees to return to the office full-time.

OPM is joining many agencies in giving employees another chance to take a “deferred resignation” offer before it proceeds with a nonvoluntary Reduction in Force (RIF).

“We feel it is prudent to offer the DRP one last time, in advance of future RIFs, so that employees can make informed decisions,” the email states.

OPM said it exempted some remote employees from return-to-office requirements, and the agency is still reviewing some exemptions based on medical conditions. However, the agency said these employees are also eligible to accept deferred resignation, because “current and future exemptions do not exclude them from reductions in force.”

OPM also told employees that return-to-office exemptions are “time-limited, requiring review in the future.”

An OPM spokesperson confirmed the agency is giving employees another chance to accept the deferred resignation offer, and go on paid administrative leave.

The agency is also offering Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) for employees who are at least 50 years of age, with at least 20 years of service, or any age with at least 25 years of service.

Unlike some agencies, however, OPM’s email makes no mention of Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments worth up to $25,000.

Employees have until Monday, April 14 to accept the deferred resignation offer — although employees over age 40 will have until May 19 to accept the deal.

If employees take the offer by the April 14 deadline, OPM will either accept or reject their application no later than April 25. OPM is planning on a “mass offboarding” of employees by May 2. Employees will go on paid administrative leave starting May 3.

Non-retiring OPM employees must separate from the agency by Sept. 30. Employees who are retiring must separate by Dec. 31.