OPM Orders 2 p.m. Early Departure for Washington-Area Federal Offices on Monday, March 16, 2026
Operating status changes midday for the National Capital Region
Federal offices in the Washington, D.C., area shifted to an early-departure posture on Monday, March 16, 2026, with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directing that employees must leave no later than 2:00 p.m. OPM posted the update at 11:09 a.m., replacing earlier “open” messaging referenced in initial public alerts.
The announcement applies to the Washington, D.C., area operating status that OPM issues for agencies within the National Capital Region. OPM’s operating-status updates are intended to provide a unified regional baseline for work and leave flexibilities when conditions affect commuting or workplace safety. Agencies may issue additional internal instructions consistent with mission needs and bargaining agreements.
What the early-departure directive means for different employees
OPM’s notice distinguishes among telework-capable employees who are physically in an office, employees who are not approved to telework, employees already performing telework, remote workers, and emergency employees. The differences matter for pay and leave accounting in the remaining hours of the workday after the 2 p.m. departure time.
Telework employees who are in the office are authorized to depart and may receive weather and safety leave only for the time needed to commute home. After arriving home, they are expected to complete the rest of the workday by teleworking or by using leave or other paid time off.
Non-telework employees who are in the office are to be dismissed by the 2 p.m. final departure time and are eligible for weather and safety leave for the hours remaining in their scheduled workday.
Employees already teleworking are expected to continue working and generally do not receive weather and safety leave. They must account for the full workday through work, leave, or other paid time off.
Remote workers are also expected to continue working and generally do not receive weather and safety leave.
Emergency employees are expected to remain at the worksite unless their agencies direct otherwise.
Leave, departures before 2 p.m., and preapproved time off
OPM’s guidance also addresses how early departures interact with leave already scheduled or taken. Employees who depart before their authorized early-departure time may request unscheduled leave (paid or unpaid) or other paid time off, but would not be granted weather and safety leave for the portion of the day they chose to leave early.
Employees already on preapproved leave—or who requested unscheduled leave before the early-departure policy was announced—are generally expected to remain charged to leave or other paid time off during the scheduled period, rather than being converted to weather and safety leave.
Applies to: Monday, March 16, 2026 — Status: Early Departure — All Employees Must Depart No Later Than 2:00 PM.
Geographic scope and what to check next
OPM’s operating status applies to the Washington, D.C., area as defined for federal operating status purposes. Employees working in federal offices outside the Washington Capital Beltway are directed to follow operating-status announcements issued by their own agencies. Employees are expected to confirm any agency-specific reporting instructions, including local office policies, commute guidance, and any mission-driven exceptions.