On Saturday, federal employees received an email from the Office of Human Resources Management (OPM) and said, “About. Five bullets of what you achieved last week.” In X, Elon Musk said that the failure to responded was “resigned.” It is considered to be.” result? Confusion, confusion and resentment among the federal labor force that feels increasingly under attack.
“It's so stupid,” says the air traffic controller who received the email and was given anonymity for fear of retaliation.
It appears that many institutional leaders were caught off guard. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which houses the National Weather Service, some managers were the first to warn against replying to emails in case it was a phishing attempt. Another NOAA employee says they were warned not to log on to their work email after they received it.
Other workers met conflicting guidance from their managers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology expects deep reductions organized by so-called government efficiency (DOGE), so some employees have been told to wait for further guidance, while others have managers said he instructed people to follow.
The email appears to have been sent to a federal judge. “We understand that some judges and judicial staff have received emails from hr@opm.gov,” read the email from the Director of Management Services Office of the U.S. Federal Court. “This email does not originate from the Judicial or Administrative Bureau and we recommend that you do not take any action.”
At least some military personnel have also been told to receive emails and wait for guidance from the Department of Defense. Its retention pattern appears to be a response in most institutions. There, workers should deal with, and how, and how, should they deal with, this latest escalation in this latest escalation and ongoing efforts to dramatically reduce the federal workforce. They say they should treat it like that and how they didn't ask. For example, the National Institutes of Health reported that some workers were “information approaching” in an email with the subject line “Wait for guidance.”
Another consideration for many people is not just whether they should reply, but how should they respond. The OPM email has specified that employees should not send sensitive information, links, or attachments, but it has severely restricted how many government workers can respond.
“National security staff have been notified of the OPM's request, which is taking them out of the important task of ensuring national security interests,” he said, “Because of the nature of their work said a source who was given anonymity to. “These are the key employees who keep us safe.”
“The Executive Committee is currently considering this request and determining appropriate guidelines for information that can be shared outside the agency,” reads an email from the office of the Secretary of Currency, located within the Ministry of Finance. “Please wait for additional guidance.”
NBC News reported on Saturday that even Kash Patel, director of the newly established Federal Bureau of Investigation and President Donald Trump's ally, had instructed employees not to respond to OPM emails.
