A federal worker, who asked not to be named, doesn’t usually check her work email over the weekend, so she learned about the circulating message asking about workers’ productivity online.
The message, she said, immediately annoyed her. She interpreted it as assuming that federal workers aren’t actually working. However, many work more than 40 hours every week, she said.
After considering how to respond, she was left with a series of questions. The work she does is confidential, and she didn’t know where the response was going or who would see it. Initially, she and her colleagues were told to respond, but were advised to keep answers vague for privacy reasons. Then, seven emails later, she learned headquarters would respond on behalf of all workers.
By Monday, the guidance recommended she and her coworkers not respond, to just ignore the email. She ultimately deleted it.
“It was just kind of a lot of chaos, which has kind of been the theme,” the worker said.
The note to federal workers comes as President Donald Trump’s administration works to change and downsize the federal government. In an email, federal workers were asked to describe five things they had done the week prior.
Elon Musk, who Trump tasked to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” an initiative created by Trump’s administration to reduce government spending, said in a post on X that not responding would be interpreted as a resignation. However, some federal agencies have advised their workers against replying.
Even as Trump and Musk pressed their case, the Office of Personnel Management informed agency leaders that compliance with Musk’s demand was voluntary, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Attorneys for unions and businesses, among others, filed an updated lawsuit in California on Monday, suggesting that Musk’s request was against the law, The Associated Press reported.
“This implication that we don’t actually do any work and that we’re just kind of staying home twiddling our thumbs is not only false, it’s obviously dangerous, and it was insulting,” the federal worker said. She’s been in her role for over a year and had been planning to retire with the federal government. However, she said, “I am strongly reconsidering that at this point in time.”
Meanwhile, another government worker who asked not to be named found the weekend message insulting. His bosses initially told him and his colleagues to respond to it, but then, when other agencies told workers they didn’t have to respond, his did the same.
The email, he said, created similar confusion to the government’s deferred resignation offer.
“It’s been disheartening and, quite frankly, really nerve-racking, because up until recently, I’ve been at one of the best positions in my in my career, as far as morale goes,” he said. “And it basically took a turn, completely 180, in just a matter of a couple of weeks.”
The State Department and Homeland Security told workers not to respond, The Associated Press reported, and Justice Department workers were told not to answer the message because of the sensitive work the agency does. Workers at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. were advised to respond “in general terms,” and Department of Education workers were told to reply with answers.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
