CDC Calls Workers Back to Office, Return Deadline Set for September 15

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told Atlanta employees it expects them to return to the office by September 15.

The announcement, first reported by CNBC, comes roughly five weeks after a gunman opened fire outside the agency’s Atlanta headquarters, killing a police officer before fatally shooting himself.

“Your safety remains our top priority. We are taking necessary steps to restore our workplace and will return to regular on-site operations no later than Monday, September 15,” Lynda Chapman, the CDC’s chief operating officer, said in an August 28 email viewed by CNBC.

Following the shooting, CDC employees were instructed to work remotely and later given the option to return voluntarily. The latest email marks a firmer directive to resume in-person work. The CDC will provide alternate workspaces on its campus for staff whose offices were affected by the shooting, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told CNN.

The HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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Under the Trump administration, the CDC has asked many employees to work regularly from the office, reversing more flexible arrangements made during the Biden administration.

It’s been more than five years since the pandemic ushered in widespread remote work. Over the past year, the federal government and major employers — including tech giants and Wall Street banks — have scaled back flexible work policies.

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The CDC’s return-to-office guidance comes amid broader changes at the agency, which has faced staffing reductions under the Trump administration.

Leadership has also shifted dramatically. Director Susan Monarez was removed from her position last week after reports of clashes with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Multiple senior leaders resigned shortly after her departure. Jim O’Neill, deputy HHS secretary, has been named acting CDC director.

The CDC is not the only organization to manage a return-to-office plan in the wake of workplace violence. Asset manager Blackstone temporarily closed its New York City headquarters after a July 28 shooting that left four people dead, including one company executive.

Blackstone told employees it would reopen its office building on August 4, with employees given the option to continue working remotely, according to a memo viewed by Reuters and later confirmed by a company spokesperson.

Blackstone aimed to return to regular in-office schedules the following week but said it would offer accommodations for those who were uncomfortable returning. Business Insider was unable to confirm whether those accommodations remain in place.