the Trump Administration through the
office of personnel management has made
a surprising offer they call it a
deferred resignation program they
estimate as many as 10% of federal
employees may choose to take advantage
of this it's important to you to know
what's in it that's what the purpose of
this video
is the Chinese have a saying that may
you live in interesting times and for
federal employees you are living in
interesting times and it's probably a a
times and events occurring that you
wouldn't expect or wouldn't have
expected when you started working for
the federal government I'll tell you I
have worked for federal Human Resources
topics either as a federal employee as a
government contractor uh with
fedsmith.com and have about 50 years of
experience working in federal HR or
Personnel or human capital whatever the
current term is that you prefer but the
times that you're experience
experiencing now are different and I'm
sure a lot of you were surprised by some
of the things that have happened and how
quickly they've happened just this week
the office of personnel management OPM
has done two things that surprise most
people first they issued an email to
people as a test and went out to all
federal employees second they sent an
email to all federal employees advising
them of how to resign their position
positions if they wish to do so and the
document they issued is called deferred
resignation and that's a buyout by
another term but it's going to affect
supposedly as many as 200,000 employees
that may take advantage of this deferred
resignation program we don't know that
for sure obviously it depends on how
employees react fedsmith did a video a
very short time ago advising people
about buyouts coming and we said that
would be quick probably and you'd have a
window in which to accept or reject so
you'd be better off to think about how
this would affect you how it would
affect your family how would affect your
career is this something you want to do
now honestly when we've said in the past
this is going to happen quick I thought
quick was two or three months because
that's typically how long it lasts or
how long it takes for op M to approve
issue plan and execute a buyout this
time president Trump took office January
20th it became effective January 28th
and you got to decide quickly if you're
going to take this deferred resignation
or not so here we go first it's moving
fast it's never happened that fast in a
modern era where a government agency
that I've seen moves that quickly on
administrative stuff you maybe if
they're getting ready for a military
action or something it just happens
quickly as far as the public knows but
this is Administrative and it's
happening fast the emails are out uh
employees have them if they were getting
them and the buyouts are bigger and more
comprehensive than expected when I did
the video recently I said that it
probably won't affect your entire agency
that's true it didn't it did not occur
to me would affect the entire government
at least the civilian portion of it but
it does with some exceptions but for the
most part every federal employee can
look at this and decide to take this or
not so that's very unusual it's it's
massive and what the government wants to
do is to encourage people to stay or to
go but they want it to be a voluntary
decision the program started January
28th and it ends on February 6 so you
have to make it a quick decision to take
advantage of this the rationale behind
this they are looking for a Workforce
willing to accept different requirements
a different work environment than you've
experienced probably at any time else
during your federal career so
specifically one of the things a lot of
people were concerned about if you
looked on social media you saw how
concerned people were returned to
working in an office in a federal
government building
instead of at home a lot of people don't
like that they want it to continue
working at home this program is going to
give you a chance to continue working at
home or leaving the government uh
without having to return to the office
if you choose to leave the government's
going to have a different performance
culture this is why they're doing it
they intend to have enhanced performance
standards at every level so they're
telling you in advance we're changing
the culture your performance standards
are going to get stricter they're going
to be tighter and we're going to monitor
them and take action if you don't meet
the performance standards so employees
are going to be working in a smaller
Workforce uh the government is going to
be issuing they say riffs furlows and
reclassification so for those of you who
are familiar with it schedule F is the
reclassification where employees move
from a career position with appeal
rights to a career position without
appeal rights that it's going to become
part of the new work environment and
they're going to be monitoring and
trying to take action if there's a case
of misconduct or some other performance
problem why is it being offered now
significant changes are occurring
obviously and some employees are going
to want to leave this environment for a
more secure environment or more job
security and I'll cover in a minute how
how that's going to affect you if you
stay of course if you go you probably
don't care because you're going to be
gone don't say you weren't warned opm's
guidance says several things
specifically that are going to be
important to you most federal agencies
are likely to be downsized now that'll
happen through restructuring realignment
riff they're going to be enhanced
standards of suitability and conduct and
you're going to be expected to live up
to these performance standards are going
to be updated they're going to be
enhanced uh is what that amounts to and
they're going to try to promote those
who exceed performance expectations and
take action against those who do not
meet the performance expectations now if
any of you watching or listening were
around back in say the Carter
Administration you've heard some of this
before it didn't take too long uh case
law before the new at the time Merit
assistance protection Board of the
courts resulted in performance
requirements
not having the same impact that
President Carter thought they would have
it took longer uh it was harder very few
actions are actually taken in the
government to remove to remove employees
from performance over the because of the
restrictions that have occurred over
time now I'm not saying those
performance restrictions will change but
they're going to try to start enforcing
them that's what they're Waring
employees of and basically saying this
is a good time to take advantage of this
program
to get out of the government if you want
to do so for those remaining they're
saying thank you for your renewed
interest uh and your renewed focus on
serving the American people because
that's what it's going to take to be
successful in this government you have
no Assurance of your position or your
agency's position if you stay so
basically what they're saying stay if
you want it's your choice if you do stay
keep in mind your agency may be
eliminated or your position may be elim
minated or both you could lose your job
through a riff potentially is what
they're saying and if you are eliminated
by that I mean you lose your job you'll
be treated with dignity and afforded
protection and through appeal rights for
those leaving government they're saying
thank you for your service and then
secondly you'll be provided with a
dignified fear departure from the
federal federal government with this
deferred resignation program immediate
concerns that going to affect you as an
employee that you're going to want to
know about the program starts January
28th ends February 6 very fast and of
course we've got a weekend in between
there so you have a chance to talk to
your husband your wife your kids
whatever you need to do to make a a
Sound Decision with any buyout once you
make that decision you're probably stuck
there is a provision according to the
OPM guidance if you change your mind and
you want to come back you can ask them
maybe they'll let you come back maybe
they won't it probably depends on your
job how badly they need your security
requirements or they need your skills
and abilities if they decide no we don't
need that they don't have to let you
back in you're you're going to resign
it's very simple respond by email to OPM
one of the things OPM has done and
frankly it's
2025 I am still very surprised that
shortly after Trump took office they now
have the ability to email every federal
employee a lot of companies did that 15
20 years ago the government still
operated pretty much as it did back in
the 1960s or 70s if a program like this
resignation program is coming out
something would be sent out to Personnel
officers throughout the government the
Personnel officers would have a staff
meeting they'd tell their division head
they'd report it back to the employees
so you went through visioned and various
layers of supervision before you
actually get the information here most
Personnel offices probably found out
about it with the email that all of you
got when it went out from OPM and of
course being 2025 and Living in America
a lawsuit was filed very quickly after
they started using the program so we'll
see what happens with that in the future
but for now you got this email and all
you have to do is respond to it what you
do is send an email to HR
opm.gov and it has to be from your
personal government account if you've
got a do bill account if you've got
a.gov account use that and I would match
it up with whatever the email went to
don't use a different address use that
address type resign in the subject line
and hit send that's it uh at that point
youve Got a notification by email within
72 hours it's been accepted received
whatever the case is you'll know the
program is designed to be very
attractive that's a personal opinion uh
so they're trying to get people to
accept this deferred
resignation keep in mind this is a
personal opinion
also Elon Musk went into Twitter now
called X and he was criticized for it he
cut a substantial portion of the Twitter
Workforce maybe as much as
75% you don't become the richest man in
the world which apparently he is or
purported to be by making decisions that
don't make a lot of sense Twitter is up
and running different name smaller
number of employees still got a lot of
subscribers works very well and I think
he's now as you know in charge of Doge
the department of government
efficiency and that's being carried over
some of the OPM people have a background
working for Elon Musk they have a
background of computers and I suspect
the fact that this email system is now
up and running and apparently running
pretty well to enable the president okm
director various people to send an email
directly to federal employees bypassing
all levels of supervision that goes to
everybody at the same time and that's
what I think we're experiencing U when I
first heard Department of government
efficiency I honestly thought it was a
joke the term government efficiency
would be used by comedians as an
oxymoron of course that doesn't happen
but according to musk it does happen
according to president Trump it's going
to happen and we're seeing it happening
now with this deferred resignation
program that you're now being offered
with a deferred resignation you would
have if you accept this your duties
reassigned uh or eliminated you'll be
placed administrative leave now that
sounds bad typically when you say to a
person you're on administrative leave in
the HR world that probably means you've
been doing something you weren't
supposed to be doing you got caught now
you're on administrative leave with pay
and we'll let you know after we decide
to fire you or let you come back that's
not the case here you're a fully
respected fully entitled federal
employee but you can enter this program
go on administrative leave you don't
don't have to go into work in an office
you can stay at home if you choose to do
so in fact you're not even expected to
do any work if you accept it you're not
expected to work during your deferred
resignation period that's a big deal
honestly I'm surprised I didn't know the
government had the authority to do that
and to have it this quickly put it in
place this fast and have a system up and
writing this
quickly is a big surprise I admire the
people who been able to put this
together they've done a tremendous job
your administrative leave will end
September 30th unless you select an
earlier resignation date that choice is
up to you it will automatically go until
the very end of the fiscal year with
full pay that's a great benefit or if
you decide for whatever reason you don't
want that you can make your resignation
at an earlier date employees who are
eligible for early or normal retirement
can accept deferred resignation and
still Rec crew your benefits so as an
example let's assume July 1st you you
have reached the retirement age and you
might be retiring then for whatever
reason you choose to retire but you
don't retire because you've accepted
this you can stay on and administrative
leave until September 30th and the
benefits will still acre if it has some
benefit for you employees who elect to
retire either early or normal retirement
before the final resignation day will
have retirement election override their
deferred resignation in other words you
decide I I want to leave July 1st I
don't want to wait until September 30th
you can do that the government will let
you you could also take another job
while you're on administrative leave
outside your current agency now there's
some restrictions to that don't take it
too literally you may have a job where
you've got security concerns you may
have signed a contract that you won't
work in certain industries if you leave
the government each agency is different
each employee is different look at that
upon through the view of whatever your
particular circumstances are but for the
general Workforce you'd be able to go to
work somewhere else while still getting
your pay from the government if you
choose to do so you can also apply to
work with the federal government in the
future if you choose to do so obviously
you don't have to you may not be
accepted you would go through the same
proc process every other person would go
through if you want to go back to work
for an agency at some point in the
future you'd be able to do that and
you're going to get an email confirming
your resignation from OPM if you don't
you want to get with OPM quickly
probably through that HR at opm.gov
address this is a program that frankly
is unheard of uh I never would have
thought a federal agency OPM would go
out with a program like this with this
kind of benefit that occurs to you
they're obviously trying to get people
to resign unless they want to work in a
different work environment the very
first comment I saw in an article that
we published this morning on this
program fedsmith published it the guy
was saying and I don't know who it is
obviously it's it's Anonymous he said
this is just a ploy by Donald Trump to
get people to leave so he can fill the
government with political loyalists well
maybe that is true president
Trump has said he thinks there's a deep
State and that's not a totally
irrational opinion you can look at
what's happening in the government
criticism that comes in uh maybe there
is a deep State at least certainly from
his perspective there is on the other
hand don't shoot yourself in the foot
this offer is not likely to come again
if it's a good chance for you to leave
and you want to leave for whatever
reason you're eligible to retire maybe
you're much younger but you don't like
working for the government maybe you
have a chance to get a higher paying job
outside the government if those types of
things are happening and you want to
take advantage of it go for it this is
your chance thanks for listening please
check back with fed Smith we're going to
be doing articles on our website we're
going to be doing other videos as more
information comes out I know people have
a lot of questions and as we get answers
to those questions we'll certainly try
to keep you informed advised and we hope
you make the best decision for you
you're and your family thank you