The unexpected “deferred resignations” offered by the Office of Personnel Management have sent federal employees into a panic. That reaction is not a surprise, since many employees count on the federal government to offer stability and consistency. Many employees immediately suspected that the program was not legitimate, and that somehow, they would be punished for choosing to leave:

The Office of Personnel Management will grant federal agencies the authority to offer early retirement in conjunction with this week’s offer of purported ‘deferred resignations’ to most employees, as the administration continues its campaign to entice, cajole and, in some cases, taunt federal workers into quitting.

Clearly this employee publication is trying to discredit the offer being made.

Early on, employees were confused by the offer, since it was so unexpected and unusual. A number of questions were raised about its legitimacy, and the OPM went out of its way to reassure employees that it was a good deal.

And it is.

What are the benefits of this offer? If an employee accepts the offer, they will get full pay and benefits for eight months through September 30, 2025. Employees are encouraged to find a job in the private sector. Unfortunately, some people felt insulted by the job search input they received from OPM:

‘We encourage you to find a job in the private sector as soon as you would like to do so,’ the agency stated in response to questions about whether employees can seek outside employment while on leave. ‘The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector.’

If employees will otherwise be eligible for retirement, they can opt for retirement through the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Those people who take this option are encouraged to check with Human Resources to clarify the effect on distributions. For those employees who fear that the government won’t follow through, there’s this commitment:

The deferred resignation program offers employees who opt into the program an exemption from any return-to-work requirements and full pay and benefits regardless of workload, with the expectation that most employees will transition their duties and be placed on administrative leave for the bulk of the deferred resignation period. Those assurances are binding on the government. Were the government to backtrack on its commitments, an employee would be entitled to request a rescission of his or her resignation.

Granted, some positions may not be eligible for the program, and those positions have not been fully identified:

All the while, it remains unclear which portions of the federal workforce are actually eligible to accept the deferred resignation offer. While the initial solicitation noted that employees working in national security and immigration enforcement would be exempt and that individual agencies can make their own exemptions, U.S. Customs and Border Protection exempted both law enforcement and professional staff, and the entire staff of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are similarly ineligible.

The Social Security Administration, which is currently at a 50-year staffing low and already had restricted hiring before President Trump instituted a hiring freeze last week, told employees in an email Friday that the vast majority of its workforce cannot take deferred resignation or early retirements. But workers at other chronically understaffed agencies, such as the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the Federal Aviation Administration’s cadre of air traffic controllers, have not received similar guidance from leadership.

At least one region of the Veterans Affairs Department emailed staff on Friday to tell them guidance on the deferred resignation program would be forthcoming ‘in order to ensure continued healthcare operations.’

Due to the uncertainty, employees who have indicated they want to accept the offer and have received confirmation from OPM should make sure to also get confirmation from their supervisors.

Aside from those who are not sure whether they are eligible, and those who assume evil motives on the part of the government, it’s a pretty good offer.

What’s not to like?

An OPM description of the program and the agreement that employees will be asked to sign can be found here.

The brouhaha is not really about the offer itself, but about the meaning it has for each employee. Many employees assumed that they would have a job for life, and that the government owed them lifetime employment; thus, they felt betrayed. Others worry about the difficulties they may encounter finding a private sector job. Still others fear the unknown, what the experience of having six months off will be like, and how their friends and families will react.

But those who learn to manage their fear and take advantage of this program may discover a whole new life experience. They may learn how to deal with insecurity. They will have plenty of time to consider the type of job that might best suit them.

In their job search, they may learn about talents they never knew they had. They will meet new people with different perspectives, and have the opportunity to grow.

What an incredible life-changing opportunity; that’s the message the government needs to send.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.