The Civil Service Reform Act

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 modernized and improved the staffing and management of federal employees. It aimed to create a more merit-based, efficient, and accountable civil service by establishing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The law also introduced protections for employees against unfair dismissals and encouraged performance-based evaluations. Overall, it sought to make the federal workforce more professional, fair, and responsive to government needs while maintaining job protections for civil servants.