WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. federal civilian employees who are spouses of military service members have been exempted from the return-to-work mandate.
President Donald Trump had ordered federal employees who have been working remotely and teleworking to report back to their offices.
The Office of Personnel Management released a memorandum titled 'Guidance on Exempting Military Spouses and Foreign Service Spouses from Agency Return to Office Plans' explaining how federal civilian employees who are also military spouses are exempt from the return-to-work mandate.
'Agencies should ... ensure that their return-to-office plans categorically exempt all military spouses authorized to engage in remote work,' the memorandum explains. 'This includes both military spouses appointed under the Military Spouse Employment Act authorities and those appointed under other hiring authorities.'
The memo also said agencies may continue hiring military spouses in remote work positions.
According to the memorandum, the policy covers spouses of members of the armed forces on active duty, service members who retired with 100 percent disability, and service members who died while on active duty. Spouses of National Guard members on full-time guard duty are also included. The memo also covers spouses of U.S. foreign service members.
'Agencies should ensure that all such military and foreign service spouses are permitted to continue with any applicable remote work arrangements,' the memo says.
Across the active-duty military, more than 48 percent of service members are married. Their spouses face challenges finding employment because the military lifestyle includes frequent moves, making it difficult to commit to a single employer or develop a career, the Pentagon said in a press release.
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