OSHR Federal Shutdown Memo and Furlough Content

by | Oct 23, 2025 | Employee Relations, HR Council, Leave, Policy

Contact:  Chris Chiron

Updated guidance from Anca Grozav, Chief Deputy Director, OSBM, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025

Thank you for your ongoing communication and diligence in keeping OSBM and OSHR informed as the federal shutdown continues. Your updates have been essential in helping us track impacts across state government and coordinate responses.

As the shutdown continues, we anticipate increased pressure on agencies to manage furloughs, reduced work schedules, and funding challenges. We also anticipate increased interest in the impacts of the shutdown. It is critical that you continue to follow the guidance and reporting process detailed in the September 29th joint memo from OSHR and OSBM. In particular, we ask that you:

  • Continue using the Smartsheet tracker and report any furloughs, schedule reductions, or program impacts related to the federal government shutdown as soon as decisions are made or impacts occur.
    • Please note we made the following updates to the survey:
      — Clarified where you should report FTEs (not a count of employees) and added the type of furlough (i.e., full loss of hours OR reduced work hours). Note: Please include temporary employees in your FTE count—while not technically furloughs, we need to report impact across all employees.
      — Added a new Employee Count Column for total headcount (not FTE) of employees affected by the shutdown. We need this information to accurately represent your agency’s situation and support your workforce planning.
      — Added a field to help us understand if you are updating previously submitted information.
  • Once you submit an initial Smartsheet response, Melissa Roark of Sherese Bonner will share a copy of your response and request weekly updates for the duration of the shutdown to ensure we have the latest information.
  • Notify Assistant State Budget Officers Mark Bondo and Brett Altman of any significant operational or budgetary impacts, including decisions to continue programs using state funds.
  • Coordinate with OSHR on all employee-related actions to ensure compliance with state policy.

Please reach out if you have questions or need support completing the survey.

Thank you for your leadership and continued collaboration during the federal shutdown. We recognize the significant challenges you are managing, and we appreciate your partnership.

Anca Grozav
Chief Deputy Director
NC Office of State Budget & Management

 

— Original Message from Oct. 8, 2025 follows below —

The memo sent from OSHR and OSBM on Sept. 30, 2025, regarding the possible federal shutdown is available here.

Furlough content has been updated on the HR website and is available in the RIF section of the Employee Relations page.