The Next President is...

[Sua Sponte]

2 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

Assuming $125,000 per year as the average cost of a federal employee (which seems low with all the available benefits and potential retirements, only a ~4,200 reduction in the workforce would make up the $10M/week

It’s lower than that, $106,382.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/07/what-the-data-says-about-federal-workers/

[Blue]

On 2/28/2025 at 1:21 PM, Sua Sponte said:

I was told that two of my GS-07s were going to be released today, so I told them Wednesday instead of waiting for them to receive a bullshit email from "The Agency" signed by someone who didn't even know them. Yesterday I was told that I was on a list to be released. Today I was told that the two GS-07s haven't received a release notice and neither have I, so we might not be released yet? Who the fuck knows what's going on.

I'm not in the .gov world anymore, so I don't know what the messaging is.  And it's hard to sift through everything out there on social media about the topic, because there is little differentiation between fact, hyperbole, and speculation.

At first glance though, it really seems like your leadership is getting ahead of themselves here.  Why are people being told "they're fired" before there is no-kidding paperwork in hand?

All of this churn sounds like the fault of your direct leadership, and not DOGE, POTUS, etc.

Edited Monday at 07:21 PM by Blue

[Sua Sponte]

1 hour ago, Blue said:

I'm not in the .gov world anymore, so I don't know what the messaging is.  And it's hard to sift through everything out there on social media about the topic, because there is little differentiation between fact, hyperbole, and speculation.

At first glance though, it really seems like your leadership is getting ahead of themselves here.  Why are people being told "they're fired" before there is no-kidding paperwork in hand?

All of this churn sounds like the fault of your direct leadership, and not DOGE, POTUS, etc.

It’s not. They received a list to terminate those employees Friday. The a federal judge said OPM can only hire and fire employees that work in OPM and only agencies can hire and fire their own employees. I have a feeling that those employees, and myself, will be fired this week.

[Lord Ratner]

3 hours ago, Sua Sponte said:

It’s lower than that, $106,382.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/07/what-the-data-says-about-federal-workers/

 

6 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

Assuming $125,000 per year as the average cost of a federal employee (which seems low with all the available benefits and potential retirements, only a ~4,200 reduction in the workforce would make up the $10M/week

From the CBO:

"Benefits also constituted a larger share of total compensation for federal workers (40 percent) than for workers in the private sector (30 percent)."

https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60235

 

So $106,382 = Total Compensation x .60

Total compensation = $177,303

 

So I undershot the actual number by $50,000 🤣😂. My bad. So we really only need to lose 3k employees to make up the $10M "wasted" on this assignment. 

[Lord Ratner]

@Sua Sponte I know you, dude, and I know you're one of the good guys. I do sincerely hope that you aren't fired and caught up in this churn. 

[jrizzell]

[mention=79687]Sua Sponte[/mention] I know you, dude, and I know you're one of the good guys. I do sincerely hope that you aren't fired and caught up in this churn. 

This is the crux of the issue. For every “low performing civilian” there’s multiple other people who are actually competent and important to their position.

We’re firing park rangers, but adding 2 TRILLION dollars in debt with the proposed budget. It’s a phucking farce; there are people behind this who don’t believe in “big government” and are taking their one shot at eliminating everything they feel is unnecessary.

There are established ways to perform civilian RIFs, and still treat people with respect and dignity. What they’re doing now, isn’t it.

And caught in crosshairs are dudes who just want to do their job and be left alone.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

[M2]

I hope those in uniform aren't thinking they won't be next. 

Those of us who survived the RIFs of the early 90s and again in the early 2010s know it won't be pretty...

Good luck!

[17D_guy]

So on the email summary to everyone's supervisor, Elon.  This is all anecdotal, but maybe provides some color.

Wife obviously got the email and was told they need to provide responses. She works in a SCIF/SAP spaces. So she asked how her, and her subordinates can respond but not provide too much data so that there isn't a classification issue but putting all the emails together; classification through compilation.

So she had to ask her boss, who had to ask group. The whole time her employees are stressed because the guidance is unclear and the timeline is short. People going on leave the next day, all that. End of day group comes back and says everything has to be super generic, "worked on project my supervisor assigned," "attended meeting for platform we support," etc.

Much more than 10 minutes was spent on replying to this email. Now the employees are worried the generic responses are going to make them targets for RIFs.

Again, anecdotal but highlights the impacts these "pulse checks" are having in important corner of the workforce with people who are good workers, but demonized for no reason.

[M2]

6 minutes ago, 17D_guy said:

So on the email summary to everyone's supervisor, Elon.  This is all anecdotal, but maybe provides some color.

Wife obviously got the email and was told they need to provide responses. She works in a SCIF/SAP spaces. So she asked how her, and her subordinates can respond but not provide too much data so that there isn't a classification issue but putting all the emails together; classification through compilation.

So she had to ask her boss, who had to ask group. The whole time her employees are stressed because the guidance is unclear and the timeline is short. People going on leave the next day, all that. End of day group comes back and says everything has to be super generic, "worked on project my supervisor assigned," "attended meeting for platform we support," etc.

Much more than 10 minutes was spent on replying to this email. Now the employees are worried the generic responses are going to make them targets for RIFs.

Again, anecdotal but highlights the impacts these "pulse checks" are having in important corner of the workforce with people who are good workers, but demonized for no reason.

Folks here are in the same boat; but not me, I'm a contractor! 😁

My organization's guidance for those who do it is to start their inputs with "My work is sensitive...”

In fact, our PEO (who will remain unnamed) sent out this:

"With these bullet submissions, I very much want to keep OPSEC in our minds.   Everything that we provide in these bullets must be considered in the public domain.   While I know for most of you it will be easy to keep classified or sensitive information out of your write-up, I also want us to keep in mind the threat of “aggregated information”.   It is real, and we must do what we can to reduce that threat.

As always, please talk with your supervisors if you have any questions, and we will do our best to keep the information flowing to you as we get it, and learn how to implement it."

You gotta give them props for actually taking a common sense approach to it! 

I empathize, but honestly I keep a daily log of my accomplishments as I have to produce a monthly activity report for my company.  I usually keep the fluff out, but if ever pressed to prove five bullets a week I could easily include all the pointless and mundane meetings I am required to attend (mostly online but also in person).

It ain't that tough! 
 

[disgruntledemployee]

The fact anyone mentions sensitive, classified, etc, is aggregate info for adversaries.

[Blue]

5 hours ago, 17D_guy said:

So on the email summary to everyone's supervisor, Elon.  This is all anecdotal, but maybe provides some color.

Wife obviously got the email and was told they need to provide responses. She works in a SCIF/SAP spaces. So she asked how her, and her subordinates can respond but not provide too much data so that there isn't a classification issue but putting all the emails together; classification through compilation.

So she had to ask her boss, who had to ask group. The whole time her employees are stressed because the guidance is unclear and the timeline is short. People going on leave the next day, all that. End of day group comes back and says everything has to be super generic, "worked on project my supervisor assigned," "attended meeting for platform we support," etc.

Much more than 10 minutes was spent on replying to this email. Now the employees are worried the generic responses are going to make them targets for RIFs.

Again, anecdotal but highlights the impacts these "pulse checks" are having in important corner of the workforce with people who are good workers, but demonized for no reason.

I still don't understand why people are getting spun into the ceiling about this e-mail request.

The guidance I've seen and heard about is more or less along the lines of "we want to make sure there is a person at the other end of that e-mail address.  That's all."  This tweet summarizes it.

The messaging has been chaotic, from the White House and from SecDef.  However, at no time has anyone said anything about responses being tied to a RIF or anything else (that I've seen).  Do people have a source for that?  Or is it just people fear-mongering in the absence of information?

Edited Tuesday at 09:57 PM by Blue

[M2]

3 hours ago, disgruntledemployee said:

The fact anyone mentions sensitive, classified, etc, is aggregate info for adversaries.

Ever heard of a SCG?  If so, find that in one and let me know...
 

[Sua Sponte]

Performance data, at least in my slice of the DoD, is sent up through the channels weekly. "Pule checks," most likely don't need to happen weekly, which is the current guidance from the SECDEF. There's something more nefarious than that. As someone who signs timecards as a supervisor, I can promise that there are no "dead people" collecting paychecks in the DoD. If any employees' timecard is even remotely late by a day, my timekeeper is bitching at me to ensure it gets filled out, filled out, signed, and certified.

My masters is in cybersecurity with a focus on AI/ML. I know what Elon is doing. He's been granted unfettered access to gobs of government data he can force feed into his Grok 3.0 AI. He's using the responses for Grok for it to conduct learning and validating with the data it's given and eventually create org charts of the entire government agencies. If people are using canned bullets and just swapping out the data points because they do the same job as multiple people, Grok could eventually recommend terminating positions it feels are "redundant." I'm willing to bet within 5-10 years Elon is going to somehow have a government-compatible AI to use for all governmental agencies, to include classified information compatibility. Why? Because privatization of the federal government is what the Trump Administration wants. Elon also wants to dismantle all the government agencies that give his companies grief, which is being pretty successful doing.

"Create the venom to sell the antidote." 

I sent my five bullets in yesterday. I also encrypted my response. I received a curious response that the receiver of the email couldn't decrypt my email. Sounds like a problem for them.

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Sua Sponte

[disgruntledemployee]

1 hour ago, M2 said:

Ever heard of a SCG?  If so, find that in one and let me know...
 

Nope, no idea what what SCG means, but I've been out for some years.  If you're saying all these NIPR emails will remain secure and in gov't control, OK then (I don't think).  If you're saying everyone should send OPM a reply via the system their work is on, like SIPR/JWICS, did anyone receive said e-mail on that system?  That would be a fun way to reply.

Dear OPM, please resend this message on JWICS, and state your clearance and need to know.  My Security Office will vet your request.

Somewhere, some dude that's on the chopping block is maybe thinking of sending a classified 5 pointer with markings on the unclass side just to taint their system.

2 hours ago, Blue said:

I still don't understand why people are getting spun into the ceiling about this e-mail request.

You sound like Chang and can't understand stupid shit, like a gig line equals landing greasy side down.  The e-mail is just that, stupid shit from a tard.

--------------------

Also, just because there is an e-mail address doesn't mean there is a dead person getting a check on the other side.  I've had old mil e-mail addresses (like a deployed one) that were in the system for years.  Maybe all elon is trying to do is clean up Comm's job /s/.

Edited yesterday at 12:41 AM by disgruntledemployee

[Smokin]

I know of a specific case in an old unit where a person in finance was able to keep someone on the payroll after retirement and changed the direct deposit to an account the finance person controlled.  It went on for around a decade and was only caught due to a fluke thing (I think someone else joined the unit with the same name and had problems setting up their accounts, which started the questions being asked).  Otherwise, it would likely still be happening, so it is very likely this will catch some fraud.

[17D_guy]

1 hour ago, Smokin said:

I know of a specific case in an old unit where a person in finance was able to keep someone on the payroll after retirement and changed the direct deposit to an account the finance person controlled.  It went on for around a decade and was only caught due to a fluke thing (I think someone else joined the unit with the same name and had problems setting up their accounts, which started the questions being asked).  Otherwise, it would likely still be happening, so it is very likely this will catch some fraud.

1 person committing fraud, for how many man hours of bullshit dealing with now. Seems like a poor investment/ROI.

[gearhog]

CBS poll regarding President Trump's joint address to Congress.

It was shocking to see how many people disapproved.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-speech-joint-address-congress-poll-2025/

[Smokin]

I'm saying this is one case that happened in a unit I was in.  And if it happened in that unit and was undetected for so long, how many times has this same thing been repeated across the country?  Most government employees are salaried and every one that I've ever worked with has spent far more time each day talking about random stuff in the hallway than this tasker would have taken.  I'm betting you've spent well over 10x more time on this board complaining about it than it took to just knock it out.  I'm retired, so don't have a dog in the fight other than the end goal of efficiency, but everything I've seen tells me that I could have typed out those things in 5 minutes or less.  It again reminds me of my kids spending hours complaining about their 20 minutes of homework they have rather than just doing it.

[BFM this]

"I work in a SCIF so how could I possibly answer this email" is passive-aggressive BS.  Anyone working in a SCIF in uniform still has to generate annual performance review fodder.  This is an insignificant fraction of that wordsmithing goat-rope, yet knickers are getting twisted.

Spare me.

[BuddhaSixFour]

3 hours ago, Smokin said:

I'm betting you've spent well over 10x more time on this board complaining about it than it took to just knock it out.  I'm retired, so don't have a dog in the fight other than the end goal of efficiency, but everything I've seen tells me that I could have typed out those things in 5 minutes or less.

Can you bang out a list of the five things you did this week in ten minutes?

If it’s for your boss or your chain who already has some context on what you do for the sake of keeping them informed, definitely. No big deal.

But if it’s for someone with zero context or knowledge — maybe even Grok AI that knows even less — and if they don’t understand it or like it you lose your job… oh, and they’re coming at it from a place of wanting to axe you? That’s much harder. 

Not the same things.
 

 

[disgruntledemployee]

1 hour ago, BuddhaSixFour said:

Can you bang out a list of the five things you did this week in ten minutes?

If it’s for your boss or your chain who already has some context on what you do for the sake of keeping them informed, definitely. No big deal.

But if it’s for someone with zero context or knowledge — maybe even Grok AI that knows even less — and if they don’t understand it or like it you lose your job… oh, and they’re coming at it from a place of wanting to axe you? That’s much harder. 

Not the same things.
 

 

And if you fear it will be used to justify your job or justify your firing, that e-mail will take all your time until the deadline.  Past actions on GS indicate hostile possibilities. 

Edited 20 hours ago by disgruntledemployee
if

[disgruntledemployee]

Just saw this little gem in the headlines.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/13701537/prepared-war-china-trump-defence-tariffs/

US DEFENCE Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that the US is "prepared" for war with China in response Beijing's chilling World War Three threat.

-------------------------------------

I remember growing up in US strategy that the messenger was just as important as the message.  If it's economics, you send an economist, etc.  Trump sends the war chief, you know, the one overseeing combat war.

[Smokin]

2 hours ago, BuddhaSixFour said:

Can you bang out a list of the five things you did this week in ten minutes?

If it’s for your boss or your chain who already has some context on what you do for the sake of keeping them informed, definitely. No big deal.

But if it’s for someone with zero context or knowledge — maybe even Grok AI that knows even less — and if they don’t understand it or like it you lose your job… oh, and they’re coming at it from a place of wanting to axe you? That’s much harder. 

Not the same things.

Sure could.  I honestly averaged about 20 min on my OPRs on writing the actual bullets, which was more difficult than this because there were far more than 5 and you had the standard character BS to deal with.  So, yes, absolutely.

Everyone in the executive branch works at the behest of the President.  At the end of the day, if his team wants to fire you, then a list of 5000 things you did that literally saved the world and was written by Shakespeare won't save you.  I know it's unemotional for me to say this, but I do say this as someone that was notified that my unit was shutting down and 90% of the unit would essentially be fired, so I do understand the emotions involved.  

If they basically randomly downsize, then what you write is irrelevant.  If they are really just doing a pulse check, then what you write is irrelevant.  If they are going to do layoffs based on performance, then I have little doubt that everyone on here is in the top 10% of government employees and you'll be good.

[icohftb]

1 hour ago, Smokin said:

Everyone in the executive branch works at the behest of the President.

So the president can fire anyone who didn't vote for him?

[BuddhaSixFour]

Sure. If you’ve Zen-chilled yourself into not giving a f**k, easy day.