The memo follows one issued in April telling agencies to assess their “organizational health and organizational performance in the context of evolving agency work environments.” Image: Diegomezr/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffFollowing is a memo from White House chief of staff Jeff Zients prodding federal agencies to increase onsite work by their employees.
I wanted to take a moment to recognize the extraordinary amount President Biden, Vice President Harris, each of you, and your teams have accomplished this summer. It’s an honor to be part of this incredible team.
As we look towards the fall, and with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, your agencies will be implementing increases in the amount of in-person work for your team. This is a priority of the President – and I am looking to each of you to aggressively execute this shift in September and October.
We are returning to in-person work because it is critical to the well-being of our teams and will enable us to deliver better results for the American people. These changes will allow us to harness the benefits of enhanced flexibilities that we experienced during the pandemic, while ensuring we have the in-person time we need to build a strong culture, trust, and interpersonal connections. Newer members of our team – who will be the future leaders of our agencies – will have the face-to-face interaction critical to learning and growing, and all of us will benefit from the increases in morale, teamwork, and productivity that come from in-person work.
For the last two years, the White House has been in-person, which has allowed us to work more nimbly and effectively as a team and with the aim of serving you and your agencies better.
Your engagement will be critical to our success. It will take hard work and focus to make this change, and to consistently communicate with your staff about why the change matters —and why this is the right step for your agency and for your mission.
I want to share with you a video that Secretary Buttigieg sent to the DOT workforce, which recognizes the work of the DOT team while clearly communicating the reasons we need more in-person work. I know many of you are doing the same sort of engagements – for example, Ambassador Power sent a note to her team sharing how critical the voice, experience, and presence of the USAID workforce is to taking on the challenges across their mission.
Jason Miller and Evan Ryan will continue to support your efforts. OMB will be gathering data from you on implementation, and we will track and review our progress.
These changes will allow us to come back together — and come back stronger — to best serve the President, the Vice President, and the American people. If at any point, it is helpful to come together to discuss how we’re doing, just let me know.
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