The Trump administration has issued a directive requiring all federal departments and agencies to submit lists of employees who have received less than "fully successful" job performance ratings over the past three years. Issued by the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), this order aims to facilitate the identification of barriers to making "meaningful distinctions" between employees' job performances. The move is part of a broader effort to reform the federal workforce and improve employee performance.
Each agency must provide detailed reports, including employee names, job titles, pay plans, series, grades, agencies, components, and duty stations. Additionally, the reports should note whether employees are under or have successfully completed a performance improvement plan in the last year. Agencies are also required to disclose whether any actions have been proposed or decided under Chapter 43 or 75, or equivalent procedures, and the outcomes of such actions, including any current appeals or challenges.
The deadline for submitting these reports is March 7, 2025. The order emphasizes the need for agencies to make "meaningful distinctions" between employee performances and aims to allow swift separation of low-performing employees. Agencies must consider any existing OPM regulations, agency policies, or collective bargaining agreements that may hinder their ability to make these distinctions or separate underperforming employees.
"OPM is developing new performance metrics for evaluating the federal workforce that aligns with the priorities and standards in the President's recent Executive Orders." – Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management
The development of these new performance metrics is closely tied to recent executive orders by President Donald Trump. The administration's objective is to ensure that federal workforce evaluations align with its priorities and standards.