Department of Defense considering permanent teleworking for some Pentagon employees

It is still unknown exactly when teleworking staff here at the Pentagon will return or if some ever will. But, we now know the Department of Defense has a plan that includes 5 phases.

For over two months, up to 4 million DOD active-duty and civilian personnel have been teleworking because of the pandemic, and hundreds of offices where unclassified work is done have been vacant.

The Pentagon, where typically more than 20,000 military and civilian employees work each day, will be using criteria similar to the White House. Officials are closely looking at numbers of reported symptoms, and numbers new cases and hospital access to determine when restrictions will be lifted.

Lisa Hershman, DOD's Chief Management Officer says social distancing and face coverings are mandatory until Phase 3. After that, it will be up to individual commanders.

“What if you had certain days or maybe you came in for half a day to come in to work on projects we have to interact with others or if you have to be in a classified room and maybe go home for the second part of the day. We are contemplating all kinds of things, shift work, we are looking at part-time teleworking, full-time teleworking. But it’s really based on how well they can accomplish the mission.”

Right now the Pentagon is in Phase 0. Once they move into Phase 1, they’re talking about 20 to 40 percent more personnel being allowed back in the building with social distancing and face masks.

About 80 percent of the department’s 23,000 personnel are working remotely.

Because of classified operations, the Pentagon has never been a big proponent of teleworking, but now officials are considering teleworking for some. Only about 6,000 people are coming to work in Arlington every day.

The Department of Defense is taking into consideration everything from what is going on in the region with COVID-19 cases, how mass transit is being affected, and even supplies of PPE and cleaning products.

Hershman wants to be very clear this is not a reopening plan because the Pentagon has never closed, and the mission of keeping the country safe has never faltered.

However, the future will have some big changes.

“To most people, 6,000 people in a single building sounds like a lot but it feels like a ghost town here. So we have only certain entrances that are open. Currently, the entrance that we come in from the Metro stop is not open. We have very few and select visitors that are allowed in and they are the ones that are getting temperature testing right now.“