FEBRUARY 4, 2025 – Today, the Department of the Air Force released a memorandum on Initial Return to In-Person Work Implementation Plan in accordance with the following orders and memorandums:
- Presidential Memorandum (PM), Return to In-Person Work
- Acting Secretary of Defense Memorandum, Guidance on PM, Return to In-Person Work
- Acting Secretary of Defense Memorandum, Implementation of Presidential Memorandum, Return to In-Person Work
- OPM Memorandum, Office of Management and Budget and OPM, Agency Return to Office Implementation Plans
- Secretary of Defense Memorandum, Initial Department of Defense Implementation Guidance, Return to In-Person Work
- Executive Order, Limiting Lame-Duck Collective Bargaining Agreements
- Department of the Air Force Guidance Memorandum (DAFGM) to Department of Defense Instruction 1035.01_Department of Air Force Instruction 36-143, Telework Program (hereby rescinded).
Pursuant to references (a) through (e), the Department of Defense revised its telework and remote work policy to require all eligible employees to work in-person at their respective agency’s worksite during their regular tour of duty (reference (c)). Accordingly, reference (g) is hereby rescinded until updated Department of Air Force telework policy and guidance are revised per the new DoD policy.
For the purpose of this memorandum, “commands” refers to all Commanders/Directors of major commands, field operating activities, direct reporting units, and field commands. Commands are directed to promptly implement a return to in-person work plan, subject to applicable laws and collective bargaining unit obligations. Return to in-person work for bargaining unit employees will be implemented in accordance with Collective Bargaining obligations.
Commands are directed to take the following immediate steps to return their workforces (civilian personnel, Airmen, and Guardians) to in-person work in compliance with reference (e):
a. Verify all civilian personnel, Airmen, and Guardians received required notification of the in-person work policy per references (b), (c), and (e).
b. Cancel all regular and recurring telework and remote work agreements, subject to exceptions per reference (e), and direct employees within 50 miles of their official worksite to begin reporting in-person to the office/worksite no later than 7 February 2025.
c. Advise civilian personnel, Airmen, and Guardians who use mass transit to timely reenroll and/or update their applications in the subsidy program.
d. Identify numbers of civilian personnel who are bargaining unit eligible and review collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in preparation to take necessary steps to bring these CBAs into compliance with the PM. Provide exclusive representatives notice of PM and initiate return to work bargaining.
e. Identify an internal process for collecting and consolidating facility data related to ‘Return to In-Person Work’ taskers through your servicing AFIMSC Detachment or other base support.
To accelerate this effort, Commands may consider use of alternative options to maximize facility space, such as alternative work schedules, additional workstations in existing facilities, or other alternate duty locations at nearby Department of Defense facilities, including military installations and leased facilities while working towards long-term facilities solutions supportive of in-person work for all civilian personnel, Airmen, and Guardians.
To inform the DAF agency return to in-person work plan and maintain compliance with references (d) and (e), Commands must submit the following information via Enclosure 1 no later than 3 February 2025:
a. The number of civilian personnel, Airmen, and Guardians on remote agreements or arrangements, their remote duty locations, and the most appropriate DAF worksite to assign civilian personnel, Airmen, and Guardians based on their duties and job functions;
b. An estimate of the costs and resource implications when a new duty station is more than 50 miles from the current worksite;
c. An assessment of any risks, barriers, or resource constraints that would prevent the return of all employees to in-person work, e.g., availability of suitable office space, budgetary impacts, etc., and the command’s plan for overcoming those barriers; and
d. Information regarding applicable CBAs and necessary steps to bring these CBAs into compliance with references (a) and (f).
Further guidance will be forthcoming regarding the process for submitting exemption requests, including:
a. Requests for exemption due to availability of suitable office space. These exemptions will require approval by the Secretary of the Air Force.
b. Requests for exemptions for other compelling needs, which may include categories of employees or specific individuals, and must include information concerning mission impact if the exemption is not granted. These exemptions will require approval by the Secretary of Defense.
Further guidance will be forthcoming regarding the process that will be used to determine exceptions based on disability and disqualifying medical conditions.
Additional implementing instructions will be provided as available. Additional guidance on facilities will be issued by HAF AF/A4 and SAF/AM as appropriate. HQ AFIMSC will work with your staffs through the detachments under separate tasker to collect facility management information.
Please submit the above requested information to Ms. Brynn Bailey, HAF AF/A1C, who may be reached at brynn.bailey@us.af.mil. The point of contact for information on the HQ AFIMSC facilities tasker is Mr. Jonathon ‘JB’ Byrnes, jonathon.byrnes.1@us.af.mil.
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs