Source: Trump administration revises directive to fire probationary employees – The Guardian US

Summary:

Reversal of Directive on Probationary Employee Firings

  • The Trump administration is reconsidering its directive to terminate probationary federal employees.
  • This reconsideration follows a temporary block by a federal judge in California against mass firings, including those of probationary employees with less than a year of experience.
  • Thousands of probationary employees had already been dismissed prior to the ruling.

Revised Guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

  • A revised memorandum from the OPM clarifies that agencies are not directed to take specific performance-based actions against probationary employees.
  • Agencies retain the ultimate authority and responsibility for personnel actions.
  • The impact of this revised guidance on previously terminated probationary workers remains unclear.

Efforts to Reduce Federal Workforce

  • The Trump administration has been actively working to reduce the federal workforce, the largest employer in the country.
  • This initiative has resulted in the termination of thousands of workers, including nearly all probationary employees under a previous directive.
  • Specific examples include the Department of Veterans Affairs laying off over 1,000 probationary workers and the US Forest Service planning to dismiss more than 3,000 employees.

Widespread Layoffs and Their Implications

  • Approximately 5,000 employees have been terminated from agencies managing national parks, forests, and other federal public lands.
  • In total, at least 20,000 government workers have been fired in the first month of the Trump administration.
  • These layoffs are largely influenced by directives from Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge), aimed at significantly reducing the workforce at federal agencies.

Concerns and Potential Impacts

  • A federal employee from the National Archives expressed concerns about the broader negative impacts of these workforce reductions.
  • The employee warned of a “domino effect” that could disrupt essential services such as tax return processing, veteran healthcare, and farm subsidies.
  • The employee emphasized that cutting federal employees will not address issues like inflation or reduce consumer costs.