HHS Tells Staff to Pause Responses to Email Describing Work (2)

The Department of Health and Human Services is now directing employees to wait on answering a government-wide message asking workers to share their recent accomplishments, after telling them earlier Sunday to respond to the email.

The health agency sent an email to employees Sunday morning with the subject line “Urgent: Action Required” in response to the Office of Personnel Management’s directive requesting federal employees to submit a bullet-point summary of their work from the last week.

But by Sunday evening, HHS sent updated guidance directing employees to “pause” activities in answering the OPM email. The agency said it will provide additional guidance by noon Monday, ensuring HHS employees and leaders have sufficient time to assess OPM’s guidance and still meet the deadline for employees to respond to the email by Monday at midnight Eastern time.

“HHS leadership continues to work with OPM officials on how best to meet the intent of yesterday’s notice to employees while being mindful of the sensitivity of the information and initiatives ongoing within the HHS Operational and Staff Divisions,” the agency wrote in an email to employees Sunday evening that was obtained by Bloomberg Law.

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The National Institutes of Health also told its employees on Sunday to “please hold on responding to OPM until we receive further guidance,” according to an email signed off by acting director Matthew J. Memoli, which was also obtained by Bloomberg Law.

HHS oversees various health agencies, such as the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

It’s unclear what instructions other health agency heads or directors gave their teams or departments, although other federal employees have been told not to respond to the order.

The National Treasury Employees Union advised federal employees not to respond to OPM’s request and await further guidance.

The FDA’s union chapter also wrote “We Work for HHS/FDA, not OPM,” according to an email obtained by Bloomberg Law. The order, the FDA union wrote, hasn’t been formally adopted by the agency, so doesn’t create an obligation for employees to respond.