On February 27, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja sent a memorandum on pay flexibility, incentive pay, and leave and workforce flexibility programs for Artificial Intelligence (AI). The memo was pursuant to an Executive Order aimed at increasing AI talent in the federal workforce. OPM provided guidance for agencies related to AI, including programs available to recruit and retain AI talent.

The guidance, available on FMA’s website and at this link, covers recruitment, relocation and retention incentives, special rates and critical position pay, alternative work schedules, telework and remote work, and other leave and workforce flexibilities.

OPM offered the following tip to hiring managers as they work through AI talent recruitment and retention: “We recommend they work closely with their agency Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Chief Human Capital Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and similar officials to design pay flexibility, incentive pay, and leave and workforce flexibility programs that will best meet their needs within available budget and with consideration of the full range of available human resources tools.”

The guidance also includes the following contact information at OPM for more information on the following topics:

• paypolicy@opm.gov for additional information on pay flexibilities, incentive pay programs, and work schedule flexibilities. Special rate, critical position pay, and recruitment, relocation, and retention incentive waiver requests may also be submitted through agency headquarters to this email address. We recommend that agencies contact OPM at this email address for assistance before submitting any

such requests.

• leavepolicy@opm.gov for additional information on leave flexibilities. Requests for extensions of the higher annual leave accrual rate to SES and SL/ST equivalent pay systems may also be submitted through agency headquarters to this email address. We recommend that agencies contact OPM at this email address for assistance before submitting any such requests.

• teleworkpolicy@opm.gov for additional information on telework and remote work.