Legal Definitions - OPM

OPM stands for the Office of Personnel Management.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is an independent agency of the United States government that serves as the central human resources department for the federal civilian workforce. It is responsible for managing the federal government'scivil service, overseeing policies related to federal employment, including hiring, pay, benefits, retirement, and workplace standards for millions of federal employees.

Here are some examples of how the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) operates:

• Imagine a long-serving federal employee at the Department of Defense who is nearing retirement. To understand their eligibility for a federal pension, their options for continuing health benefits, and the process for submitting their retirement application, they would consult the guidelines and resources provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM is the agency that administers the federal retirement systems and oversees the comprehensive benefits programs available to federal employees and retirees.

• When the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) needs to hire new engineers and scientists, it must adhere to specific recruitment procedures and job classification standards. These standards, which ensure fair and merit-based hiring across the federal government, are established and overseen by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM provides the framework and regulations that federal agencies follow when recruiting, evaluating, and bringing new talent into the federal service.

• Consider a situation where a federal employee believes they have been unfairly disciplined by their supervisor. Before pursuing a formal appeal, they might seek information on their rights, the proper procedures for addressing workplace grievances, and the policies governing employee conduct. This information would be found in regulations and guidance issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as OPM develops and enforces the human resources policies that govern employee relations, performance management, and dispute resolution within the federal workforce.