Our Objective(s)To assess the Department of Transportation's (DOT) (1) progress implementing the Federal policy on return to in person work and (2) procedures for overseeing compliance with worksite requirements.
Why This AuditSenators Joni Ernst and Ted Cruz requested that our office review DOT's worksite practices in June 2024. We announced an audit shortly thereafter, but in January 2025, the Federal worksite landscape changed significantly. A Presidential Memorandum instructed all eligible Federal employees to return to full-time, in-person work as soon as practicable, essentially eliminating telework and remote work except in limited circumstances.
What We FoundDOT complied with current Federal return to in-person work requirements and guidance.
DOT previously expected telework-eligible staff to work in person 4 days per pay period but now requires full-time, in-person work with few exceptions.
DOT's data show its telework use substantially declined from approximately 38 percent of employees teleworking at least 1 day during a September/October 2024 pay period to just 8 percent by a March/April 2025 pay period.
DOT implemented procedures to oversee individual employee compliance with worksite requirements and began using a broader monitoring process.
DOT had worksite policies in place over the full period of our review that established roles and responsibilities for employees and supervisors participating in telework and remote work, including training requirements.
A few Operating Administrations identified limited instances of employee non-compliance with worksite policies and described corrective actions taken.
DOT began generating regular and recurring reports in June 2025 to review data in timekeeping and other systems to assess employee compliance with in-office requirements Departmentwide, but this process has not been documented.
DOT implemented a data accuracy review process to provide reasonable assurance that the Department's timekeeping and other worksite-related datasets are accurate.
RecommendationsWe made 1 recommendation to fully implement and document DOT's process for monitoring compliance with worksite requirements.
