Musk tells federal workers they must 'detail what they got done' or risk losing their job.

The United States Capitol building stands majestically surrounded by lush greenery and vibrant blooms under a clear sky.

Elon Musk stated on Saturday that federal employees need to detail their work accomplishments or risk losing their jobs. This is part of a recent initiative by the Trump administration to restructure the government, which has led to confusion among workers.

Elon Musk announces a directive from President Trump's administration, requiring federal employees to report their weekly achievements via email, with non-compliance considered as resignation.

McLaurine Pinover, spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), stated, "Aligned with the Trump administration's focus on an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of their previous week's activities by the end of Monday, ensuring their manager is copied. Agencies will decide on any additional steps."

The email was sent to all agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, as confirmed by the OPM spokesperson. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, remarked on X: "This is a great initiative, and even White House staff can document all their achievements this week, as everyone in the Administration should."

The Journal reviewed copies of the email, which had the subject line "What did you do last week?"

Federal employees were given until 11:59 p.m. on Monday to submit a list of "5 bullet points of what you accomplished last week." The email instructed employees to exclude any classified information and did not suggest that nonresponses would be considered resignations.

Not all agencies are allowing their employees to respond to the email immediately. Kash Patel, Trump’s new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, instructed staff to "pause any responses" to the OPM email. "The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is responsible for all our review processes and will conduct further reviews in accordance with FBI procedures," Patel wrote in a message viewed by the Journal.

The email caused confusion across the federal government. A senior government official noted that some federal employees began consulting their legal advisers on the appropriate response. A Justice Department official sent an email advising staff to delay responding until management provided further instructions. An OPM employee questioned whether the agency had the authority to issue work orders to employees in other agencies.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing thousands of federal employees, stated that it would "contest any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees nationwide."

OPM, the government's HR division, previously sent federal employees a notice titled "Fork in the Road." That email offered workers pay and benefits in exchange for their resignations. The deadline to accept the offer was February 6, and approximately 65,000 employees accepted it, as previously reported by The Wall Street Journal.

This move by Musk, whom Trump appointed to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, follows the president’s earlier social media post on Saturday urging the Tesla CEO to "be more assertive" in his role. Trump has also stated he authorizes all of Musk’s actions as one of his advisers.

Musk has been directing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in implementing substantial budget cuts across the federal government. Thousands of federal employees have been laid off, including officials from the Internal Revenue Service, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Education Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

A Trump executive order instructs agencies to collaborate with DOGE officials on rescinding or modifying numerous regulations.

Musk's directive for workers to respond to an email detailing their work or risk job security reflects his management style at Twitter after acquiring the social media company in 2022, later renaming it X. When a then-Twitter employee in 2023 expressed uncertainty about their employment status on the platform, Musk replied, "What work have you been doing?" 

The White House stated on Monday in a court filing that the billionaire entrepreneur does not have decision-making authority and is not the official administrator of DOGE. 

Joshua Fisher, director of the Office of Administration supporting the executive branch, declared in a recent court document that Musk lacks "actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself. Mr. Musk can only advise the President and communicate the President’s directives."