{"id":27953,"date":"2024-02-23T16:10:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T16:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/02\/23\/hud-calls-multifamily-housing-workers-back-to-offices\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:57:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:57:18","slug":"hud-calls-multifamily-housing-workers-back-to-offices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/leadership\/2024\/02\/23\/hud-calls-multifamily-housing-workers-back-to-offices\/","title":{"rendered":"HUD calls Multifamily Housing workers back to office, drawing union ire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A subagency within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is increasing in-person work for its employees, matching a growing number of federal agencies who are cooperating with White House orders to fill government offices in and around Washington, D.C., post pandemic.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A message was sent Wednesday during a town hall that instructed employees of the Multifamily Housing office, one of the larger departmental programs, to work onsite twice per week beginning the week of March 24, with shared \u201ccore\u201d days each week. This comes after managers were already called back to in-person work, Federal Times previously reported in January. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the agency stressed that these decisions are not arbitrary; they are based on the specific mission of the office as opposed to a department-wide, one-size-fits-all approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeadership in this particular office made the decision to increase in-office presence, based on their own business needs,\u201d an spokesperson said in a statement to Federal Times. \u201cThis office oversees approximately 1.5 million units of housing that HUD provides to low-income Americans across the country. It is one of the most important things that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision is also in line with the White House and Congress\u2019 expectations for federal agency leaders to revisit telework policies since the pandemic formally ended, but employees and the unions have resisted reentry, saying mandates feel capricious after maximum telework proved conducive, especially for non-public facing work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Union response<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HUD had one of the more liberal telework policies compared to other federal agencies, and that played favorably to recruitment and retention<\/a>, said leaders of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents thousands of department employees. Employees are not happy about the change, according to the union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are outraged,\u201d said Salvatore Viola, regional vice president of AFGE Council 222, in an interview. \u201cThere is no legitimate business reason for Multifamily Housing [to do this].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n