The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has initiated a second wave of emails to federal employees, demanding a summary of their weekly accomplishments. This directive, part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to assess and potentially reduce the federal workforce, comes on the heels of significant staffing reductions that have affected approximately 100,000 workers.
In an email sent out on Friday evening, the OPM requested that workers from various agencies, including the Justice Department, compile and report five achievements from the previous week. While compliance with the directive is technically voluntary, many agencies are encouraging participation. For instance, supervisors at the Department of State and the Department of Defense (DoD) will collect these summaries on behalf of their staff.
The move is spearheaded by Elon Musk's newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reflecting a renewed commitment by the Trump administration to streamline operations within federal agencies. Musk emphasized that meeting this requirement is crucial for the executive branch.
"The President has made it clear that this is mandatory for the executive branch," – Elon Musk
Despite the absence of threats regarding retaliation for noncompliance, the emails underscore an expectation that responses be submitted at the start of each work week. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has directed its employees to respond to an internal email address marked “accountability,” further highlighting the administration's focus on monitoring employee performance.
The backdrop of this directive is a significant reduction in the federal workforce, with reports indicating that around 100,000 workers have either accepted buyouts or been terminated as part of efforts to cut federal staffing and spending. This reduction has led to operational challenges across many agencies. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has had to recall key personnel to ensure public safety due to haphazard layoffs.
The impact of these staffing cuts is particularly notable at the Social Security Administration, which has announced plans to eliminate 7,000 positions and close several regional offices. Such drastic measures raise concerns about the long-term viability of essential services provided by these agencies.
In addition to these staffing reductions, the Trump administration has recently disbanded a team of tech-savvy civil servants known as 18F. Established during the Obama administration, 18F served as an internal consultancy focused on improving government technology and user experience. Its dissolution raises further questions about the future of digital services within federal agencies, particularly considering its role in developing a free tax filing service for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The second round of emails sent by OPM marks a continuation of the administration's strategy to monitor employee productivity closely. While it remains unclear how this initiative will affect employee morale and agency operations in the long term, many workers have expressed concern over the implications of such oversight.
"For State, DoD and a few others, supervisors are gathering the weekly accomplishments on behalf of individual contributors." – Elon Musk
As federal agencies brace for these changes, some departments are navigating compliance differently. The Pentagon has instructed its employees to adhere to the directive promptly, while the State Department has advised its staff to postpone their responses for now.