Federal employees whine over DOGE’s new directive requiring them to do a 5-point summary of weekly accomplishments

By willowt // 2025-03-04

Mastodon

Parler

Gab

Copy

DOGE, led by Elon Musk, has mandated federal employees to submit a weekly email listing five bullet points summarizing their accomplishments. This directive has caused widespread backlash, with some agencies refusing to comply and others providing unclear guidance. Observers say it reflects a broader resistance to accountability within the federal workforce.
Musk framed the directive as a “pulse check” to ensure productivity and identify inefficiencies, joking that some employees might be “dead” due to their lack of response. He highlighted the federal workforce’s lack of oversight, with over 3 million employees and minimal measurable output, as a key issue needing reform.
The backlash underscores a long-standing culture of entitlement and mediocrity in federal employment. Studies show that nearly all federal employees receive positive performance reviews, regardless of actual performance, creating a system that rewards mediocrity and discourages accountability.
The resistance to DOGE’s directive has significant financial implications, with estimates suggesting it could cost taxpayers $17.5 million weekly in lost productivity. However, this pales in comparison to the billions wasted annually due to inefficiency and redundancy in the federal government, highlighting the need for reform.
The controversy reflects a broader need for meritocracy in the federal workforce, where employees enjoy job security and benefits without the accountability seen in the private sector. The directive is seen as a necessary step toward creating a more transparent and effective government that serves taxpayers.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the leadership of Elon Musk, has ignited a firestorm of outrage and whining among federal employees with its latest directive: a weekly email requiring workers to list five bullet points summarizing their accomplishments from the previous week. The subject line, “What did you do last week? Part II,” has become a lightning rod for criticism, with some agencies outright refusing to comply and others offering vague guidance. But behind the bureaucratic hand-wringing lies a deeper truth: Federal workers’ resistance to basic accountability reveals a culture of entitlement that has long plagued the government.

The DOGE directive: A simple, logical request

The directive, sent via the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), instructs employees to reply with “approx. 5 bullets describing what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.” The email also makes clear that this will now be a recurring task, due every Monday by 11:59 p.m. ET. While the request seems straightforward, it has sparked a turf war among federal agencies, with some, like the State Department and the Energy Department, advising employees not to respond. Elon Musk, who has positioned himself as the architect of DOGE’s mission to streamline the federal government, has framed the emails as a “pulse check” to ensure employees are alive and productive. “We think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead, which is probably why they can’t respond,” Musk quipped during a recent cabinet meeting. While his comments were met with laughter, they underscore a serious problem: The federal workforce has ballooned to over 3 million employees, many of whom operate with little oversight or measurable output. Critics argue that DOGE’s directive is an overreach, with some agency heads bristling at the idea of an outside entity issuing commands to their employees. But this resistance raises an important question: Why are federal workers so afraid of justifying their work?

The culture of mediocrity in federal employment

The backlash to DOGE’s emails is emblematic of a broader issue within the federal workforce: a culture of mediocrity and entitlement. For decades, federal employees have enjoyed near-total job security, regardless of performance. According to a 2016 report by The Washington Post, only 0.1% of federal employees receive a negative performance review. A 2013 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that more than 99% of non-Senior Executive Service employees were rated as “fully successful” or higher. These statistics are not a testament to excellence but rather evidence of a system that rewards mediocrity and punishes accountability. Federal supervisors are incentivized to give glowing reviews to avoid conflict with employees and unions, creating a culture where merit is secondary to maintaining the status quo. This has led to a workforce that views even the most basic requests for accountability as an affront. As one NIH employee lamented, “It’s been like one long funeral and it never lets up.” Such melodramatic reactions to a simple email reveal just how unaccustomed federal workers are to scrutiny.

The cost of resistance: Taxpayers foot the bill

The resistance to DOGE’s directive is not just a matter of bureaucratic pride; it has real financial consequences. One federal employee estimated that if 2 million workers each spend 15 minutes responding to the emails, at an average hourly wage of 35, the weekly cost would amount to 500,000 hours and 17.5 million. “That’s a conservative estimate,” the employee told The Washington Post. “Most of us spent way more than 15 minutes between trying to figure out what it meant, meetings about whether to respond or not, and actually writing the email.” While this cost is significant, it pales in comparison to the billions wasted annually on inefficiency and redundancy within the federal government. DOGE’s mission to identify and eliminate waste is long overdue, and the resistance from federal workers only underscores the need for reform.

A call for meritocracy in government

The outrage over DOGE’s emails is not just about a weekly task; it’s about a fundamental shift in how the federal government operates. For too long, federal employees have enjoyed the perks of government work — generous salaries, benefits and near-total job security — without being held to the same standards as their private-sector counterparts. The concept of meritocracy, so central to the success of private industry, has been all but absent in the federal workforce. Elon Musk’s approach to DOGE mirrors his strategy at Twitter, where he eliminated 80% of the staff and saw the company function more efficiently. While the federal government is far more complex than a social media platform, the principle remains the same: accountability and results matter. Federal workers’ resistance to DOGE’s emails is not just an inconvenience; it’s a symptom of a broken system. The American people deserve a government that operates efficiently and transparently, and that starts with holding federal employees accountable for their work. If a simple email asking “what did you do last week?” is enough to send bureaucrats into a tailspin, perhaps it’s time to ask whether they’re doing anything at all. The DOGE directive may be controversial, but it’s a necessary step toward restoring meritocracy in government. Federal workers who fear accountability should remember: they work for the taxpayers, not the other way around. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com Politco.com NYPost.com ZeroHedge.com