Elon Musk, billionaire and senior advisor to President Donald Trump, announced that all federal employees must submit productivity reports if they wish to keep their jobs. Employees will receive an email asking them to explain their productivity for the previous week, and failure to respond will be interpreted as a resignation. Musk stated that the bar for the productivity reports is very low, and that employees only need to write a few bullet points that make sense, taking less than five minutes to complete. The deadline for responding to the email is 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
The decision to require federal employees to submit productivity reports was confirmed by a spokesperson from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The spokesperson stated that the request is part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, and that agencies will determine any next steps based on the responses received. However, the new FBI Director Kash Patel has instructed agency employees not to respond to the OPM email until further guidance is provided through FBI procedures.
The American Federation of Government Employees labor union has expressed opposition to the productivity reports, calling it cruel and disrespectful for federal employees to be forced to justify their job duties to an “out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire” like Musk who has never served in public office. The union plans to challenge any unlawful terminations of its members and federal employees across the country. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is spearheading efforts to cut waste across the federal government, has been actively involved in implementing these new productivity requirements.
Despite criticisms from the union, Musk has emphasized that the productivity reports are necessary to ensure accountability and efficiency within the federal workforce. He has encouraged employees to submit their reports in a timely manner and assured them that the expectations are minimal, with the passing grade being the ability to send an email with words that make sense. The reports are seen as a way to track and evaluate the work performed by federal employees on a weekly basis, in alignment with President Trump’s priorities for a more productive and streamlined government.
The productivity reports have sparked debates and controversies among federal employees and labor unions who view Musk’s involvement in government affairs as inappropriate. The requirement for federal employees to justify their job duties to a private individual like Musk has raised concerns about privacy, autonomy, and the potential for undue influence. As the deadline for responding to the email approaches, it remains to be seen how federal agencies will implement and enforce the productivity requirements, and how employees will navigate the challenges presented by these new expectations.
