Elon Musk Stirs Controversy with Big Return-to-Office Push for Federal Employees—And He’s Not Holding Back!

The return-to-office debate got a bit spicier last week with Elon Musk’s latest promise to make the government more efficient.

In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, the billionaire appointed to head up the new Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) along with his co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy, laid out plans to reduce the overall size of the government and cut costs. And one part of that blueprint included mandating a full return-to-office for all Federal workers.

“Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome: If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the COVID-era privilege of staying home,” they wrote.

In doing so, Musk and Ramaswamy seem to be openly announcing what some critics have long argued is a disguised impetus behind strict RTO mandates: Job cuts. One survey this year of more than 1,500 U.S. managers found that a quarter of C-suite executives were hoping that return-to-office policies would encourage employees to voluntarily quit. After all, it’s certainly cheaper than having to do layoffs and pay severance.

Other CEOs have discussed potential attrition due to five-day RTO mandates. Last month, Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman told staffers during an all-hands meeting that it’s “OK” if people don’t want to work in an office environment because there are “other companies around.” That led many employees to sign an open letter to corporate leadership noting his remarks were “inconsistent with the experiences of many employees” and “misrepresenting the realities of working at Amazon.” Amazon CEO Andy Jassy pushed back against allegations that the company’s RTO requirement was an excuse to lay off workers and said the decision was “not a cost play.”

The Federal government is the nation’s largest employer, with over 2.2 million civilian staffers. Until now, each agency has been able to decide what workplace policy works best for them. Of the total number of Federal workers, roughly half work on-site, according to an August report from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. While remaining employees are eligible for remote work, the report found that only 228,000, or roughly 10%, were in remote positions where there was no expectation that they work in-person. And those who have the option to work remotely spent about 60% of working hours in-person at various job sites.

It’s unclear if Musk and Ramaswamy will actually be able to implement a five-day RTO for Federal workers. And of course, the question remains: Will these CEOs return to the office themselves? That’s yet to be seen.

Related Posts

Stephen Colbert’s Emmys Kiss Cam: How a Bittersweet Date Night with Evelyn Turned the 2025 Awards into a Love Letter to Late-Night.

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025, were supposed to be a glittering escape from the headlines: a night of awkward host jokes, surprise wins,…

She Woke Up Wrapped in Bandages. Police Walked In Minutes Later. Their First Question: ‘Do You Know Him?’ Her Answer Changed Everything.” 🔥😢

In the sterile hush of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s burn unit, 24-year-old Bethany Magee opened her eyes for the first time in 12 days on October 26, 2025….

🔥 “She Wore a Black Lives Matter Hoodie—And It May Have Made Her a Target. This 24-Year-Old Is Now Dictating Her Story, One Panel at a Time ✊

She wore it the way other people wear wedding rings or religious medals: without thinking, because it had become part of who she was. A plain black…

She Was Set on Fire on a Chicago Train at 1 A.M.—Awoke 12 Days Later in the ICU Asking ‘Am I Dead?’ This 24-Year-Old Barista Is Now Fighting Back

In the early morning hours of October 14, 2025, the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line train was rattling through its usual subterranean route, carrying a weary mix…

Superman Star’s Brutal Comeback: Henry Cavill Endures Hellish Training Torment for Epic Highlander Sword Slaughter—Will Injury Scar His Immortal Legacy?

Henry Cavill, the chiseled British powerhouse who once soared as Superman and slashed through monsters as Geralt in The Witcher, is diving headfirst into a grueling training…

Superman Begs for Thanksgiving Invites? Henry Cavill’s Hilarious Kimmel Confession Turns Brit into Chiefs Superfan Overnight!

In the glittering chaos of late-night television, where Hollywood’s finest trade secrets for laughs, Henry Cavill delivered a bombshell that left Jimmy Kimmel—and millions of viewers—stunned into…