GAO: Pentagon Lacks Reliable Data as Telework Comes Under Renewed Scrutiny

As the debate over telework and remote work continues to simmer, new findings from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) are raising concerns about whether agencies have the data needed to support major workforce policy decisions.

The Trump administration maintains that five days a week in the office should be the default for federal employees, calling for a post-COVID “reset” on telework. Against that backdrop, GAO found that the Department of Defense (DOD) is inaccurately tracking how its civilian workforce uses telework and remote work programs.

DOD adequately tracked which positions are eligible for telework or remote work but did not consistently track whether civilian employees are using the programs. That has led the Pentagon to at times overstate the number of teleworking employees, simply counting eligible positions. 

“They had good data on the positions eligible but didn’t have such good data on who was actually using those programs,” Alissa Czyz, GAO director of defense capabilities and management, told Federal News Network.

Data was reviewed from December 2021 to February 2025. GAO notes that between 65 and 68 percent of the DOD civilian workforce was at times eligible for telework or remote work. However, data showing how many employees worked off-site was incomplete and inconsistent.

For example, in May 2024, DOD reported having 61,549 remote employees. Just one month later, in June 2024, the department reported only 35,558 remote employees, which GAO blamed on inconsistent data collection.  

“Without formal processes for collecting data on employee eligibility, DOD lacks visibility into the use of these flexibilities and may not be able to ensure compliance with DOD policy to collect accurate and reliable data on use of these flexibilities,” stated the report. 

In addition, GAO found that DOD did not evaluate the impact of telework and remote work programs on recruitment, retention, operating costs, and an agency’s ability to fulfill its mission. This despite OPM guidance requiring agencies to do so.

GAO issued two recommendations. One tells DoD to develop a formal process to ensure accurate data is collected on employee eligibility for telework and remote work, and the other tells DOD to establish clear and specific requirements for evaluating the effects of telework and remote work on the department’s goals. 

DOD concurred with both recommendations.