GOP lawmakers said they are concerned with the impact the high rate of telework is having on mission readiness. Image: Hasbul Aerial Stock/Shutterstock.com
NASA has become the latest federal agency to come under scrutiny for its telework practices, from Republican leaders of the House Science Committee and two of its subcommittees overseeing the agency.
In a letter to the agency, they cited data that only 31 percent of NASA headquarters employees work onsite daily, which would mean “that the vast majority of NASA headquarters employees remain on a mostly telework or remote working schedule more than one year after President Biden called for all federal agencies to return to in-person work. We are concerned with the impact this is having on mission readiness as well as the costs associated with paying for buildings and other facilities that are not being used to their full potential,” they wrote.
As the pandemic has ebbed, “It’s no longer reasonable for federal employees in Washington, D.C., to continue to work remotely while leaving taxpayer-funded office buildings mostly vacant,” they wrote. They also raised concerns that “the lack of in-person communications can lead to errors and delays.”
They asked for information including a justification for current rates of offsite work, occupancy rates for all NASA facilities, information on how many headquarters employees telework three or more days a week, and a listing of positions that will likely remain in offsite status for the long term.
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