Team USDA,

Thank you to all who were able to join us last Friday for an engaging Town Hall focused on Workplace Wellness and Safety. USDA continues to prioritize planning and support for our employees as we work to implement guidance from the White House and the CDC about the return to the physical workplace. The health and safety of the millions of Federal workers across the country is a top priority for the President, and the Department.

The entire USDA leadership team thanks you for your continued patience and resilience under challenging circumstances. We hope the panel discussion was informative and helped you learn more about USDA’s workplace safety, employee wellness, and "Future of Work" programs, policies, and decisions. If you missed the Town Hall, or would like to watch it again, a recording is available to USDA employees only.

We would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few moments to complete the post-event survey, which will close on Monday, Oct. 4th. We value your feedback and will use it to help ensure we are meeting employee needs throughout the return to the physical workplace planning process, continue to meaningfully engage employees – essentially “creating a feedback loop” as it relates to workplace culture, wellness and safety, and create opportunities to listen and engage with a wide-range of leaders on topics of interest.

For those of you who have not been vaccinated, you can visit www.vaccines.gov to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you and learn more about the benefits of vaccinations.  Full vaccinations must be completed no later than Nov. 22, 2021. If you think you might qualify for an exemption, please reach out to your Human Resources director, reasonable accommodation point of contract, or religious accommodation coordinator. Please send any concerns or questions to your pandemic coordinator or to futureofwork@usda.gov.

Thank you for your dedication to our mission and your commitment to public service and public good.

Sincerely,

Secretary Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Bronaugh