OPM Proposes Major Reforms to Strengthen Accountability Across the Federal Workforce

WASHINGTON, DC — The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) today proposed sweeping reforms to modernize how agencies address poor performance, streamline disciplinary and removal procedures, and strengthen accountability across the federal workforce.

The proposed rule would require agencies to better equip supervisors with training on employee accountability while making it easier to address employee performance issues. Among other reforms, the proposal establishes a default 30-day Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), eliminates pre-PIPs that unnecessarily delay action, standardizes employee response periods for adverse actions, and modernizes Merit Systems Protection Board review of adverse action appeals by replacing the current checklist-based approach (called “the Douglas factors”) with a totality-of-the-circumstances standard.

This proposal is part of the Trump Administration’s broader effort to build a high-performing federal workforce that rewards excellence, recognizes strong performance, and holds employees accountable when performance falls short.

“Accountability and high performance go hand in hand,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said. “This proposed rule gives federal managers better tools to address performance issues efficiently while ensuring employees are evaluated under a fair, consistent process. These reforms will help agencies better recognize excellence, address poor performance, and ultimately deliver better results for the American people.”

The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register and will be open for public comment. Read Director Kupor’s blog post on this here.