US eases work from home federal terms for religious worship
The Trump administration has announced that Federal employees can be permitted to work from home or adjust their hours to accommodate religious fasts and prayers, as reported by Reuters.
The decision comes after the administration had previously required all federal employees to report to the office full time five days a week, a policy set on Inauguration Day 2025.
Federal agencies now have been urged to take a flexible approach to remote work requests tied to religious holidays.
Such requests may only be denied if a significant disruption on operations can be justified.
Shift in Work Policy and Workforce Impact
Throughout Trump’s election campaign, a full-time return had been strongly promoted with warnings of consequences for noncompliance.
Such a shift was supported by Elon Musk, as a previous key figure in the administration’s cost-cutting initiatives, who indicated in November 2024 that rolling back pandemic-era remote work policies could lead to voluntary resignations.
This is particularly true since a Biden administration report, released in May 2024, had deemed over a million federal civilian employees eligible for work from home, nearly half the workforce, with 10% fully remote.
This decision could reflect a more flexible stance on in-person work from the administration.
Prior to this verdict, exceptions were also introduced for military spouses with regards to remote work. Federal agencies are expected to comply with the exemption by updating return-to-office plans.
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