IRS Faces Desk Crisis as Return-to-Office Mandate Hits Snag

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently ordered approximately 20,000 customer service employees back to the office, concluding a lengthy period of hybrid and remote work. However, a significant issue has arisen: there aren't enough desks available to accommodate all employees.

Many workers were informed on Sunday that they would not be returning to the office as scheduled, with the Return to Office (RTO) mandate postponed indefinitely. Union leaders emphasized that this decision was made to prevent long wait times for taxpayers during the busy tax season.

Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, stated, "This is to minimize impact to taxpayers during the filing season. These employees can continue telework temporarily while the IRS finds enough appropriate workspaces for all of them to report to the worksite each day."

The IRS Return-to-Office Order

The IRS's initial directive for employees to return to their workplaces was part of a broader promise from President Donald Trump to have federal workers back in the office five days a week. A congressional report indicated that as of last May, over half of federal workers were either partially or fully remote, leading to many federal office buildings being largely empty.

Despite the IRS's workforce increasing from about 80,000 in 2021 to over 100,000 in 2024, not all facilities can accommodate the influx of employees. The agency's memo acknowledged that some facilities lack adequate space, leading to potential assignments in nonstandard workspaces.

Insufficient Space and Potential Chaos

Greenwald commented on the chaos that the end of telework has caused, noting that many IRS locations do not have enough space for all employees. This decision was communicated to IRS workers just one day before the return-to-office mandate was supposed to take effect.

The union has warned that returning thousands of employees to overcrowded offices could severely disrupt customer service. The IRS had previously made strides in reducing average telephone wait times from 28 minutes to just 3 minutes. However, experts predict that wait times could increase again due to the current hiring freeze and ongoing layoffs, with over 7,000 positions cut so far, aiming to reduce the workforce by as much as half.

In summary, the IRS's attempt to return to in-person work has been complicated by a lack of available workspace, raising concerns about the potential impact on taxpayer services during a crucial filing period.