The majority of respondents to our recent survey about the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer said they do not plan to take it.
According to the results of nearly 2,400 respondents, 81.2% said that they do not plan to accept the buyout offer (18.8% said they either do or have accepted).
Among those who are taking it, only 13% plan to continue working with the government afterward. 19% said they anticipate working with the federal government again at some point in the future.
Regarding whether they plan to search for a job or not after taking the buyout, it was split 50/50.
As mentioned previously, most respondents do not plan to accept the offer before the February 6 deadline. Most of those individuals (67%) said they are concerned about their job security with the government going forward.
There also was a great deal of mistrust about the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the deferred resignation offer reflected in the survey results. Survey respondents mostly said “no” to the following questions:
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Do you trust that the government will follow through on the provisions of the deferred resignation offer? | 32.3% | 67.7% |
| Do you think OPM has the legal authority to make this offer? | 35.4% | 64.6% |
Most respondents (66%) are also not currently eligible for retirement.
OPM Addresses Concerns
Ever since the buyout offer was announced, OPM has released more information and details about the offer, much of which is designed to help to assuage the concerns and skepticism that federal employees understandably have about it. The agency has published numerous frequently asked questions on its website, and its most recent guidance addressed the government’s legal authority to make the offer. It also gave agencies a template legal agreement to provide to federal employees who accept the buyouts to formalize the terms of the deal.
Many are still not convinced, however. Federal employee unions, for instance, have expressed strong opposition to the offer and also filed a lawsuit this week seeking a court injunction to stop the February 6 deadline in favor of “a policy that is lawful, rather than an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum which workers may not be able to enforce,” as AFGE’s press release described it.
A group of Democratic attorneys general in several states warned about accepting the offer, saying that they believed the benefits it offered might not be guaranteed.
“For those considering the buyout, read the fine print before signing and be cautious, as certain benefits may not be guaranteed. Employees who are represented by a union should work with their labor representatives before entering into any contract changes,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The Trump administration, however, has warned federal employees who choose not to accept the buyout that it will not be extended beyond the February 6 deadline and that “…the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force.”
Even if their positions are not eliminated, they also should expect a new culture in the federal workforce built around four pillars that OPM laid out in its letter presenting the terms of the offer:
- A return to in-office work
- Performance based culture that demands “excellence at every level”
- Downsizings at the majority of agencies to create a “more streamlined and flexible workforce”
- Enhanced standards of conduct
In other words, the message the Trump administration is sending rather resoundingly is one that basically says, “Big changes are coming; don’t say you weren’t warned.”
For federal employees who may not be on board with the changes or are worried about losing their jobs due to future RIFs, the buyouts are intended to provide a plan and the financial means to help them transition out of government service. Everyone’s situation is different of course, and federal employees will of course have to weigh all the information and make a decision that is best for their needs and those of their families.
Reports this week said that only about 20,000 federal employees had accepted the offer to resign, but OPM said it expects to see a big surge in the number of resignations that hit as the deadline approaches.
