Federal Managers Association

In the News

• OPM calls for quicker firings, more stringent performance standards - June 20, 2025

• By Erich Wagner, Government Executive

  The Office of Personnel Management this week released new guidance calling on federal agencies to rate fewer employees as above average or outstanding and to discipline or fire federal workers more quickly.
  
  Much like OPM’s hiring plan, a new memo from acting OPM Director Charles Ezell to agency heads makes overtures toward the nonpartisan issue of improving performance management in government, but introduces partisan elements that could threaten the effectiveness of those reforms, experts say.
  
  “For many decades now, performance management across the federal workforce has fallen short of what the American people should expect,” Ezell wrote. “Too often, this has resulted in a lack of accountability and inflated performance ratings. Federal employee performance ratings should be normalized and reflect individual contributions to organizational results and outcomes.”

  To read the full article, click here.

##