The Harsh Truth About Workplace Accountability: Federal Workers, Remote Work Abuse & The Forgotten Job Seekers

For weeks, the debate over accountability in remote work has dominated headlines, all sparked by a single email. Federal employees were asked to list five accomplishments from the past week, and the outrage was immediate.

💬 “Who the hell is he to ask?”💬 “How dare they?!”

Now, government employees are rallying for job security, demanding protection from layoffs. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of white-collar professionals have been out of work for over a year, facing radio silence on their applications.

Where was this outrage when first responders, doctors, nurses, teachers, and corporate professionals lost their jobs for not taking the vaccine?

As someone who was featured on CNN discussing the brutal reality of the white-collar job market (Watch here), I find this sudden concern over federal workers losing jobs to be tone-deaf.

The reality is this: many government jobs added in recent years weren’t necessary—they were inflating employment numbers. The private sector took massive hits while the government bragged about job growth, only for us to now see those same jobs being cut.

But let’s take a step back and look at this issue from three perspectives:

📌 1️⃣ The HR Leader Perspective: The Ask Wasn’t the Problem—The Delivery Was

As an HR leader, I’ve always expected employees to track their progress, provide updates, and show their work—this is basic accountability in any organization.

✅ The intent of the email was valid: Leadership wanted to verify who was actually working.❌ The execution was terrible: The wording was vague, top-down, and threatening.

Here’s the thing—if your boss asks what you accomplished this week, you should be able to list it off the top of your head. If you’re productive, this is second nature.

For example, I can easily list what I’ve done recently:

✅ Updated my website 💻✅ Prepped for my podcast 🎙️✅ Followed my job search strategy 🔍✅ Created & posted LinkedIn content 📢✅ Managed my side gigs 💼

That took me seconds to write. If you're working, proving it shouldn’t be a problem.

The issue wasn’t the request for accountability—it was the tone and lack of clear direction. If direct managers had framed it as a check-in rather than an ultimatum, the reaction would have been very different.

📌 2️⃣ The Job Seeker Perspective: “Boo Hoo” — Take a Number & Get in Line

Federal employees feeling blindsided by layoffs? Welcome to the real world.

Millions of corporate professionals have been unemployed for over a year, sending out hundreds of applications, networking, and getting zero responses.

I know because I’m one of them.

Where was the outrage when we were let go?

The government boasted about job growth, but many of those jobs were federal positions that weren’t necessary. Now that those excess roles are being cut, suddenly there’s a panic.

Meanwhile, in corporate America, those of us still employed watched in-office employees carry the weight of absent remote colleagues.

I saw this firsthand:

🚨 Remote employees who were "unavailable" during the day—but miraculously responsive at 4:55 PM.

🚨 WFH workers taking impromptu Zoom calls from their cars—because they were running errands, not home working.

🚨 Employees on Slack or Teams “active” but not responding—because their laptop was left open while they were out.

🚨 Colleagues taking two-hour “lunch breaks” daily—on WFH days only.

🚨 WFH employees dropping off & picking up grandkids from school.

🚨 People scheduling self-care appointments—hair, nails, massages—during “work” hours.

🚨 Some worked remotely from their kids' house—just to spend time with grandkids.

🚨 Managers making excuses for remote employees—instead of holding them accountable.

And yet, when accountability is enforced, those same people are outraged?

💡 If you were actually working, proving it wouldn’t be an issue.

💡 If your job was truly necessary, it wouldn’t be on the chopping block.

Meanwhile, thousands of long-term unemployed job seekers—who actually want to work—are getting ignored.

📌 3️⃣ The Taxpayer Perspective: The Fraud & Waste is Outrageous

This issue isn’t just about remote work vs. in-office work—it’s about government inefficiency, fraud, and abuse that have gone unchecked for too long.

🚨 $247 BILLION in improper federal payments in one year alone.🚨 Federal employees abusing disability benefits.🚨 Workers comp fraud—people collecting benefits while fully capable of working.🚨 Bogus unemployment claims paid out to people still working.🚨 Massive scandals—like the Long Island Rail Road disability fraud, where 97% of retirees in one year claimed disability payments they didn’t deserve.

📌 Taxpayers deserve accountability.

The private sector doesn’t tolerate endless inefficiency—so why should we, as taxpayers, fund it?

📌 Final Thoughts: Is the Backlash a Sign of Guilt?

The message may have been harsh and Elon Musk may not be the right messenger—but is the resistance a sign that some people got caught?

There’s an old saying: "Thou dost protest too much." If so many federal employees are fighting back this hard, maybe they weren’t as busy as they claimed. And the politicians resisting have gotten rich while in office at the taxpayers expense.

📢 The truth?

✅ If you’re actually doing your job, proving it shouldn’t be a problem.✅ If your position was essential, it wouldn’t be cut.✅ If leadership wants to ensure taxpayer money isn’t wasted, that’s their right.

There is no private sector job that offers infinite job security.There is no guarantee that any of us will be employed forever.There is no excuse for abusing the system when so many are struggling.

💬 What do you think? Is this fair oversight or government overreach?