As the second Trump Administration begins with a tidal wave of executive orders, funding freezes and payment system takeovers, a government agency that previously toiled in obscurity has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM.)
Acting as a kind of HR department for the federal government and tasked with managing that workforce, the OPM made headlines last week when it sent millions of federal workers a “buyout” offer, or the chance to turn in a deferred resignation. Employees have until Feb. 6 to decide if they want to stay in their roles and return to the office five days a week, or step away from their duties but continue collecting a salary through September. The offer email was sent out to workers with the subject line “Fork in the Road,” the same language that Elon Musk used when he cut thousands of jobs from Twitter after taking over the company.
