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- Latest News
- The Trump administration says 'lower productivity' federal workers will be better off in private sector
The Trump administration says 'lower productivity' federal workers will be better off in private sector
- The Office of Personnel Management updated its FAQs this week to encourage private sector work.
- The update, which comes after federal workers were offered a payout, calls private sector jobs "higher productivity."
- The Department of Government Efficiency has said on X that workers could use the time off to "chill."
The Trump Administration has a novel idea for federal workers who take its payout offer: go work for corporate America instead.
"We encourage you to find a job in the private sector as soon as you would like to do so," the Office of Personnel Management's FAQ page now reads. "The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector."
The addition was made sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, according to snapshots on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. The updated FAQs, which include several other tweaks, were also sent out to some federal workers, a National Park Service employee told Business Insider.
If white-collar work doesn't appeal, the administration lists other tantalizing possibilities: "You are most welcome to stay at home and relax or to travel to your dream destination," the page says. "Whatever you would like."
In a post this week on X, the Department of Government Efficiency also touted all the things federal employees could do in their time off: take a dream vacation; watch movies; "chill." Musk also re-shared a post advertising the payout as a "PAID VACATION!"
Representatives for DOGE did not respond to BI's request for comment.
OPM sent out the initial offer to federal employees on Tuesday. The administration is giving workers a choice: resign by February 6 and receive full pay and benefits through September 2025, or stay on and face likely downsizing and a return to in-person work.
A spokesperson for OPM told BI that some federal employees had expressed confusion about the nature of the payout. The agency updated the FAQ page to provide clarity, the spokesperson said.
One federal worker previously told BI they would look for work outside the government. Another said on Friday that they didn't understand the nudge toward the private sector.
"People who work for the government are public servants," they told BI. "They do it for the joy of serving their country, community, or helping people."
The guidance comes as Trump's administration has aligned itself with several private sector leaders. Chief among them is Elon Musk, whose work with DOGE has advocated for a reduction in the size of the federal workforce. Now formally situated inside the White House, DOGE has weighed in on recent actions regarding federal employees, including a recent return-to-office mandate.
Do you work for the federal government or have a tip? Reach out to the reporters from a non-work device: [email protected] and [email protected] or via Signal at alicetecotzky.05 and julianakaplan.33.
- Latest News
- Bernard Arnault says LVMH is not relocating following backlash over his criticism of French tax hikes
Bernard Arnault says LVMH is not relocating following backlash over his criticism of French tax hikes
- Bernard Arnault has said LVMH has no plans to relocate the company.
- It follows backlash over his criticism of proposed French tax hikes.
- Arnault had also praised the "optimism" in the US following President Donald Trump's return to office.
Bernard Arnault, the billionaire CEO of the luxury conglomerate LVMH, has said there are no plans to relocate the company after his criticism of proposed French tax hikes faced backlash.
"I never said that we were going to relocate the LVMH group. This statement is false," Arnault said in a statement posted on the company's X account on Friday.
"What I said is that the tax measures envisaged are an incentive for relocation, since they tax Made in France products, but not relocated French companies," he added.
Arnault had expressed frustration over proposed tax hikes on French companies in an earnings call earlier this week.
He warned that such measures could push businesses to move elsewhere.
"When you return to France and you see that they are planning to increase taxes on companies that produce in France to 40%, it's incredible! If you actually wanted them to relocate, that would be the ideal way to do it," he said.
He also contrasted the atmosphere with what he called the "wind of optimism" in the US following the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. Arnault joined a host of other billionaires and executives to attend Trump's inauguration earlier this month.
"Coming back to France is a bit like taking a cold shower," Arnault said.
His comments have been met with some criticism, including from Sophie Binet, the leader of the French trade union the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). Binet said in an interview on RTL that Arnault's remarks were a sign that "rats are jumping ship."
It wasn't the only part of the Tuesday earnings call that made headlines this week.
During the call, Arnault also said he had recently spoken with Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg about the decision to let low-performing Meta staff go.
While drawing parallels between job cuts at Tiffany & Co. and the layoffs at the Silicon Valley firm, Arnault said that the Meta employees were being "promoted outwards, so to speak."
LVMH generated 84.7 billion euros (around $88.2 billion) in revenue in 2024. France accounted for 8% of that figure, while the US accounted for 25%.
How sniping actually works, according to a former Marine scout sniper
Johnathan Taylor served as a scout sniper in the United States Marine Corps for eight years. He is now the president of the USMC Scout Sniper Association, an organization helping veteran snipers access financial, medical, and psychological support.
He tells Business Insider how elite marksmen in the unit are trained for combat and describes the longest shot he took as a sniper in Afghanistan. He discusses his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the dangers he faced in the field, and the tactics he used to evade detection.
Taylor also explains the deep mental toll that active military service can have on veterans.
For more, visit the USMC Scout Sniper Association website and Instagram.
If you're a veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. To reach responders, dial 988 then press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.