One of the most visible signs of how President Donald Trump is trying to reshape the federal government is his call for federal employees to return to the office full-time. On his first day, Trump signed an executive order that called for an end to remote work and later that week, agencies were instructed to end their telework policies.

Donald Trump's executive order mandates federal employees return to the office for work, sparking frustration for some workers.

Employees have until Feb. 6 to decide whether to take the buyouts offered by OPM or return to the office— in most cases, five days a week.

The White House is exploiting, and sometimes outright ignoring, the arcane laws, rules and regulations that have long protected the civil service of 2.3 million from a political takeover.