A federal government-wide email sent out over the weekend with the question “What did you do last week?” caused confusion and conflicting responses among employees and agencies. Billionaire Elon Musk, a White House adviser, stated that failure to reply would be considered a resignation, while some department officials advised their employees to hold off on responding. This email, sent by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), contradicted previous guidance stating that responses to such mass emails were voluntary.
Federal workers expressed their objections to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency by citing the OPM guidance after receiving the email. Musk, teasing the notice on his social media site X, emphasized that failure to respond would be seen as a resignation. However, civil service protections cover many federal workers, preventing them from being fired without cause.
The OPM’s email request, which asked employees to list their accomplishments from the previous week, raised questions about its alignment with previous guidance that emphasized the voluntary nature of responses to government-wide emails. OPM did not immediately respond to inquiries about the alignment of the recent email with their guidelines.
Various supervisors and agencies instructed employees to postpone responding to the email, raising concerns about the legality of OPM’s request. The American Federation of Government Employees criticized OPM’s actions, stating that the demand for information lacked legal authority and conflicted with existing regulations and guidance.
Overall, the situation highlighted tensions between federal employees and the government, with many feeling undervalued and intimidated by the email’s tone and intent.
