The Office of Personnel Management is advising all federal agencies to fire their probationary employees after it stopped accepting new offers for its “deferred resignation” program last night.
Agencies, however, have final authority over the removal of their probationary employees.
A source familiar with OPM’s decision-making told Federal News Network that OPM met with agencies and provided them with guidance to lay off probationary employees, with “case by case exceptions.”
The source described OPM’s communication to agencies as “soft guidance,” and that “agencies independently can decide how to move forward.”
An OPM spokesperson told Federal News Network that “the probationary period is a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment.”
“Agencies are taking independent action in light of the recent hiring freeze and in support of the president’s broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government to better serve the American people at the highest possible standard,” the spokesperson said.
Probationary periods for federal employees typically last for one year. In less common circumstances, certain agencies and federal positions require two-year, or even three-year, probationary periods. Generally, the longer probations are reserved for law enforcement officers and certain employees at the Defense Department.
While the federal government has not yet published data beyond March 2024, historical trends suggest there are approximately 200,000 people in government positions with one year or less of service at any given time.
The latest OPM data shows 216,079 federal employees had one year of service or less, as of March 2024. The five-year average across the government is 192,774 employees with a year of service or less.
OPM asked agencies earlier this month to send a list of probationary employees, and whether or not they wanted to keep them. Agencies were given a 200-character limit to explain why a probationary employee should stay in government.
OPM also fired its own probationary employees in a meeting Thursday afternoon.
An OPM employee told Federal News Network that about 70 employees were in the meeting Thursday afternoon. Probationary hires with less than a year of service were called into a videoconference meeting at 2 p.m. — after getting an email notice about 15 minutes prior.
During the meeting, which included remarks from acting OPM Director Chuck Ezell, probationary employees were told they would be terminated from their jobs at 3 p.m. today.
OPM workforce data from March 2024 shows that over the past five years, the agency has had 144 employees with one year of service or less.
According to the OPM employee, a union representative was not present at the meeting — and the meeting’s moderator disabled microphone and camera access for all employees on the call after someone asked about union representation.
OPM told federal employees in an email Wednesday night that its deferred resignation program has closed, and that any resignations received after 7:20 p.m. Eastern on Feb. 12 will not be accepted.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Copyright
© 2025 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.