Trump administration requests reasons for recent employment appointments
In a series of unusual developments, federal employees across various agencies have been called for meetings, causing confusion and anxiety among the workforce.
The catalyst for these meetings appears to be a directive from the Trump administration, urging federal agencies to gather and submit lists of employees on their probationary periods. This directive, issued through the Office of Personnel Management, has sparked fears that the administration may remove many probationary period workers en masse.
At the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), new hires have received a notice informing them they are "an employee likely on a probationary/trial period." Similarly, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Service (TTS) have initiated similar measures.
The head of the TTS, Thomas Shedd, who was appointed during the Trump administration around June 2023, is conducting these meetings. Shedd, a former longtime Tesla employee, has been asking TTS employees to share a "recent technical win" during these sessions.
The meetings, however, have raised questions about their purpose. There is uncertainty whether these are essentially job interviews or routine check-ins. An employee at the IRS, for instance, felt uneasy about the request to provide their certifications, educational background, experience, and specific work details. The employee at the EPA, too, expressed concern about the notice that provided a fact sheet on probationary firings, citing 5 CFR $ 315.804, which grants the agency the right to immediately terminate probationary period employees.
The gathering of names has not been limited to the IRS and the EPA. Employees at various agencies have confirmed that they are being asked for names to add to the lists, and these records are being passed up the chain of command. This practice has been observed at the Homeland Security Department, where supervisors were asked to provide a list of their probationary period employees, and the regional offices then sent the names back to field offices for performance reviews.
The current situation has been described as "unprecedented" by a current employee at TTS. The employee's concerns are shared by many, as the uncertainty surrounding these meetings and the potential consequences of being on a probationary period have created a climate of anxiety within the federal workforce.
It is unclear who originally solicited the information from the IRS employee, adding to the air of mystery surrounding these developments. Despite the uncertainty, one thing is clear: federal employees on probationary periods are under increased scrutiny, and the outcome of these meetings could have significant implications for their future at their respective agencies.
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