Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s proposal to mandate full-time, in-office work for federal employees, framed as a government efficiency measure, contrasts sharply with economic data. While some large companies have reduced remote work options, remote work remains prevalent, stabilizing at 25-30% of workdays since January 2023. Experts cite the significant profitability of hybrid work models for companies due to sustained productivity and reduced employee turnover costs. The proposed policy, therefore, may inadvertently serve as a cost-effective method of workforce reduction.
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Elon Musk’s recent X posts publicized the names and job titles of four relatively obscure climate-focused federal employees, sparking a wave of online harassment and forcing at least one to delete their social media accounts. This action, enabled by Musk’s massive following, has instilled fear among federal employees, who worry about becoming targets of online abuse and even physical threats. Experts suggest this tactic aims to intimidate employees into quitting, effectively downsizing the government without formal processes. A former federal employee, previously targeted by Musk, reported receiving death threats and being forced to relocate, highlighting the potential dangers of such public shaming.
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Elon Musk, co-lead of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency advisory group, is publicly targeting individual government employees on X, most recently highlighting Ashley Thomas’s role at the US International Development Finance Corporation. This has led to a significant online harassment campaign against Thomas, prompting concerns about the potential for such actions to instill fear among federal employees. Musk’s actions are consistent with past behavior of using social media to attack individuals, often under the pretext of free speech. This tactic has resulted in significant online harassment campaigns against his targets.
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A top union leader warns that Donald Trump’s return to office will likely result in widespread harassment, intimidation, and corruption within the US federal government. This is fueled by Trump’s and his allies’ support for mass firings of civil servants and the abolishment of agencies, potentially utilizing the controversial Schedule F executive order to remove civil service protections from thousands of employees. This action would reverse over 150 years of merit-based hiring practices established by the Pendleton Act, undermining employee protections and increasing the risk of corruption. The anticipated implementation of Schedule F, central to the rightwing Project 2025 plan, threatens to significantly weaken unions and impair the government’s ability to function effectively.
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John Q. Hosedrinker