Armed Forces News

AF General: There’ll be a portion of our workforce that never comes back to working as we knew it in the past. Image: Ira Lichi/Shutterstock.com

Nearly one-third of all airmen could continue teleworking from home after the Covid-19 pandemic tapers out, the service’s second-highest ranking officer has said.

Speaking to a virtual audience Sept. 16 during the Air Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference, Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson, the service’s vice chief of staff, said, “There’ll be a portion of our workforce that never comes back to working as we knew it in the past. They may show up to work in a work environment once a day, once a week, that type of thing.”

The Air Force Association reported that the service had to move quickly to provide virtual work capabilities when the pandemic began earlier this year, but has largely done so. Airmen who handle classified information or would prefer to work in an office setting would be accommodated.

The shift to a permanent teleworking arrangement could affect the way the Air Force manages permanent-change-of-station (PCS) moves, said Kelly, in a related story on the Air Force Association’s web site.

“Imagine us now being able to hire somebody in Arizona who works in the Pentagon, but staying in their home – for certain staff jobs,” Kelly said.

Service members, under this scenario, essentially could take on new assignments without having to go through PCS moves.

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