OPM proposes to modify OPM/Central-21 system of records and rename employee survey

What happened

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to rename the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey to the Annual Employee Survey and to modify the OPM/Central-21 system of records. Under the new model, executive agencies will run the survey for their employees and provide only de‑identified data to OPM and OMB, while OPM will retain identifiable records for its own employees and prior survey data. Records maintained by other agencies will not be covered.

Why it matters for trust and compliance

• Its status is proposed. It is not law yet. Track it, but do not treat it as an obligation.
• The change alters how federal employee survey data is collected and shared, impacting privacy handling of identifiable employee records.
• Takes effect December 10, 2026.

Who is affected

Recommended actions

1. Check that privacy notices describe the practices this addresses.
2. Revisit retention schedules and data minimisation for the data involved.