Federal overseers were recently faced with a tight deadline to compose brief rationales in tweet format to secure employment for their subordinates.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued a new directive, requesting lists of employees still on their probationary periods from several federal agencies. This directive marks a shift towards a more uniform approach to gathering information about employees and their roles.
The latest OPM directive has caused concern among federal employees, especially those who have served for more than a decade in government but have been added to the probationary period inventory. Employees on probation, usually those hired within the last one or two years, can be dismissed quickly without much recourse, leading to fears of mass dismissals.
Agencies were asked to produce justifications for their employees on Tuesday and were due back to OPM on Wednesday. Some supervisors at agencies have not received new guidance this week, instead telling OPM that all impacted staff in their divisions should be retained.
The 200-character limit imposed by the OPM forced agencies to write simple descriptions that offered few details on job duties. This brevity has led to uncertainty among employees, with many unsure about their job security.
The OPM's latest directive was first reported by Federal News Network. The Trump administration's request indicates it is not narrowly focusing on probationary employees in certain jobs but instead looking to take widespread actions.
The Energy Department was one of the agencies asked to justify why each of their recent hires should keep their jobs. A supervisor at the Energy Department, who was also included on the list, fears for their job due to the directive. "People are terrified," the supervisor said. "People are really, really scared."
The administration is also encouraging employees to accept its deferred resignation offers, which expire on Thursday. However, some employees, like a Justice Department employee, expect to be let go.
Impacted employees are continuing to do their jobs, but focusing on their duties has proven to be a difficult task amid all the tumult. The OPM's initial guidance, issued on President Trump's first day in office, directed agencies to "promptly determine" whether probationers "should be retained at the agency."
The last directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to agencies that had not yet fully complied with previous guidelines was sent in 2020. Despite multiple requests for comment, the Energy Department did not respond.
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