Pay & Benefits
What to know before setting your 2026 retirement date
Immediate vs. deferred retirement, the three-day rule, and why the last day of the month often makes the most sense.
Management
OPM implements years-in-the-making update to federal hiring process
The "rule of many" aims to give federal hiring managers more information and choices as they evaluate job candidates.
Pay & Benefits
OPM lays out early plans for law enforcement-only pay raise
Federal employee groups decried President Trump’s plan to raise pay for most civilian employees by just 1% next year while giving military service members and law enforcement officers 3.8%.
Management
OPM tech lead Greg Hogan leaves post
The personnel agency’s handling of sensitive agency data — and who can access it — has been at the center of many lawsuits since the start of Trump 2.0.
Oversight
OPM will forego FEVS in 2025, despite law requiring it
The Office of Personnel Management did not answer questions regarding how the federal government will administer a survey of the 16 core Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey questions, which are spelled out in statute.
Management
DOGE can maintain access to federal personnel data, court rules
The DOGE affiliates will also keep unfettered access to federal education and taxpayer information.
Workforce
OPM orders deletion of federal workers’ vaccination records
The announcement came hours after a formal dissolution of a lawsuit challenging the Biden-era requirement that federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, which hasn’t been enforced since 2023.
Workforce
At least 148,000 federal employees have left government under Trump, good government group reports
The Partnership for Public Service acknowledged that it’s difficult to track the number of civil servants who have departed because the Trump administration has not publicized much of the information.
Workforce
Trump administration reminds federal employees they can proselytize in the office
Supervisors can solicit employees to attend their church, OPM says in new guidance.
Management
Managers are the linchpins to improved performance
COMMENTARY | To reach its performance management goals, OPM may need to look at the inherent challenges facing agency managers and how to improve their engagement.
Workforce
New OPM head plans to cement focus on efficiency
Scott Kupor said he won’t be taking orders from DOGE, though he’s “happy to partner with people” that are helpful to his overall goals for the agency.
Pay & Benefits
OPM’s digital retirement application is live. What that means for feds planning to retire
The new electronic retirement system promises a faster, more accurate process, but some users are still adjusting to the change.
Updated
Workforce
OPM urges ‘generous approach’ to approving religion-based telework
A memo encouraging the approval of telework arrangements for people with religious reasonable accommodation requests comes as some agencies look to crack down on disability-based telework usage.
Management
Investing in knowledge workers is important
COMMENTARY | OPM's plans for reforming federal employee performance management need to account for workers for whom annual performance goals may not translate their worth.
Pay & Benefits
Trump’s hiring freeze has jeopardized postal workers’ health care, IG says
OPM told its agency watchdog that it has taken steps to ensure the Postal Service Health Benefits Program remains adequately staffed and funded but failed to provide any evidence that it had actually done so.
Management
Senate confirms new Office of Personnel Management head in mostly party-line vote
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the only Republican to vote against Scott Kupor's nomination.
Workforce
OPM deemphasizes ‘favorite EO’ essay following legal challenge
A quietly circulated memo from the federal government's HR agency warns hiring managers against using the essay responses as a "ideological litmus test" for job applicants.
Tech
OPM to host an industry event on modernizing federal HR systems
The Office of Personnel Management, Office of Management and Budget, and General Services Administration are all involved in this discussion on how to get a new human resources system in place by the end of 2028.
Management
No better way to manage performance
COMMENTARY | OPM's new performance management guidance looks to refine how federal agencies tackle employee performance, but to reach its mark, the federal government’s HR agency should explore how to empower employee problem-solving.
Workforce