The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has ordered workers to respond to Elon Musk’s ‘What did you do last week?’ email with the warning that failing to list five achievements from the past week will be taken as a resignation.
Nearly 56,000 workers who are employed by the DOT will be required to reply to the email ahead of the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline on Monday. This includes employees of various DOT agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which employs overworked air traffic controllers.
The email was sent on Saturday by the Office of Personnel Management to more than 2.2 million government employees with the subject line of ‘What did you do last week?’ and a request to list five things they did in the last seven days.
The email didn’t mention a sanction if workers fail to respond to the email, but Elon Musk in his capacity as the unofficial head of DOGE, said ignoring the email would be taken as a resignation.
Several government departments, including the Department of Defense, have told staffers to ignore the email, at least for now, as Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seek ways to slash federal spending with job cuts taking center stage.
But while some departments are calling on their employees to resist the temptation to rattle off their professional achievements, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as gotten involved in the exercise, posting a five-point list of ‘achievements’ in a post on X.
“Mr. President, 5 things I did last week,” Dufft wrote in Monday’s post.
- “1. Terminated NYC elitist, anti-worker congestion pricing.
- 2. Launched an investigation into the $16 billion in taxpayer dollars wasted on a high-speed rail project that, after 17 years, has yet to lay a single mile of track.
- 3. Saved $10 million a year by eliminating redundant and outdated landlines.
- 4. Visited the Air Traffic Control Command Center in Virginia to see the critical tech upgrades we need to make our air traffic system the envy of the world.
- 5. Toured Burbank, California traffic control tower and heard from air traffic controllers about how to improve conditions and retain and recruit more controllers.”
Other government departments that have directed staffers to ignore the email include the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Department of Commerce.
Duffy has blamed the Biden administration for a shortage of air traffic controllers and has brought in consultants from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to suggest an overhaul of the technology used to control US airspace.
Frankly, if you can’t write 5 items that you did last week at work, your job is one that can easily be cut.
As for controllers, it’s easy. Just list the callsigns of the last 5 aircraft you worked. If that’s too difficult, perhaps you should seek easier employment.