(NewsGlobal.com)- The Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems Act, also known as the “SHOW UP” Act, was approved by the House on Wednesday by 221-206. It requires federal employees who have been telecommuting, at least in part, since 2020 to return to the workplace.
If implemented, the plan to repeal remote work regulations may force an estimated 1 million federal workers back into full-time employment.
A CBS News investigation of data from the Office of Personnel Management revealed that by the end of 2021, the number of federal employees who work from home sometimes would more than double, from 483,000 to an anticipated 1 million.
According to a Thomson Reuters study from August 2022, regulations enabling employees to work remotely need more advanced preparation to address logistical challenges, particularly for organizations that deal with the public. Democrats opposed the idea, noting the advantages of telecommuting for workers.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, said the Democrats vehemently oppose this measure, which is an attack on all the progress achieved over the previous few years in telework regulation.
“Telework has strengthened both private and public workplaces nationwide, boosted morale and worker happiness, increased production, increased efficiency, decreased road congestion, and created good environmental benefits,” Raskin claimed.
Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, said the government workforce has to “get back to work,” calling the proposal “critical.”
Comer said the tasks of federal agencies are not being fulfilled. They are failing the American people by neglecting to do their duty. The federal government’s capacity to carry out its duties and provide essential services “has been hampered by the absence of federal personnel from the workplace.”
Despite CEOs believing their teams are ineffective while working outside of the office, 87% of employees say they are productive, and the number of virtual meetings has surged by 153% globally, according to a September 2022 survey by Microsoft.
The paper suggests that managers may mistakenly believe that time is not spent as effectively when they can physically witness their employees completing tasks.
According to Forbes, a subsequent two-year study of 800,000 workers revealed a 6% improvement in productivity during the period when people began working remotely.
But were they government workers?
