The Social Security Administration announced it will terminate all alternative work schedules on November 16, 2026, transitioning employees to a standard five-day workweek. Chief Human Capital Officer Florence Felix-Lawson stated the change is necessary to ensure consistent public service. The AFGE union filed a national grievance, calling the decision an illegal contract repudiation. The union warns the move will worsen morale and accelerate attrition at an agency already facing 50-year low staffing levels.
The decision to end alternative schedules
- ▪The Social Security Administration announced on October 5, 2026, that it will terminate all alternative work schedules for its employees starting November 16, 2026.
- ▪Social Security Administration Chief Human Capital Officer Florence Felix-Lawson stated that alternative work schedules reduce staffing on days off, impacting the agency's service to the public.
Union grievance over the decision
- ▪The American Federation of Government Employees filed a national grievance on October 6, 2026, accusing the Social Security Administration of illegally repudiating contract provisions covering alternative work schedules.
- ▪The American Federation of Government Employees stated that public-facing field and hearing offices already have contract tools to maintain minimum staffing levels and cap daily employee days off.
Predicted impact on employees
- ▪The American Federation of Government Employees stated that many Social Security Administration employees relied on alternative work schedules to seek medical treatment or provide family care.
- ▪The American Federation of Government Employees warned that ending alternative work schedules will depress employee morale and drive staff to leave the Social Security Administration, exacerbating attrition.
Social Security Administration staffing challenges
- ▪Approximately 7,000 Social Security Administration employees accepted voluntary separation incentives in 2025, bringing the agency to its lowest staffing level in about 50 years.
- ▪The American Federation of Government Employees called on Congress to pass $3 billion in additional funding for the Social Security Administration to hire 20,000 employees and address backlogs.
Work schedules at other federal agencies
- ▪The Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service ended alternative work schedules for their employees in April 2025.
- ▪The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency approved plans in March 2026 to re-implement flexible and alternative work schedules to aid recruitment and hiring.
Debatable claims
- ▪Underfunding is the primary cause of the Social Security Administration's service backlogs
- ▪The Social Security Administration is justified in unilaterally ending alternative work schedules
- ▪Ending alternative work schedules will worsen the Social Security Administration's staffing crisis
- ▪Ending alternative work schedules will improve the Social Security Administration's public service
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