DoD Puts Probationary Employees on Leave Ahead of Anticipated Firings
TL/DR –
The Defense Department has begun placing probationary employees on administrative leave until their termination is effective. The Defense Health Agency confirmed that dismissals have been limited to headquarters positions which are administrative in nature, and they refuted providing the exact number of terminated employees. The Office of Personnel Management has provided guidance stating that an appointment is not final until the probationary period is over.
Probationary Employees of DoD Put on Admin Leave Before Upcoming Layoffs
Anticipating mass terminations, the Defense Department has started putting probationary employees on administrative leave.
The Defense Department is now putting probationary employees on administrative leave while official action is awaited or until their termination.
About 20 civilian probationary employees at the Defense Health Agency were informed of their termination, confiscating their ID cards and laptops before being escorted out of the building, as reported by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) local.
The employees were told they would receive their termination letters and were placed on administrative leave until the official termination date at the end of March.
The Defense Health Agency confirmed to Federal News Network that dismissals have been limited to administrative headquarters positions but did not disclose the exact number of staff let go.
An internal memo from Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Stephen Ferrara cited OPM guidance emphasizing the need for individual performance measurement aligned with organizational goals and the best interest of the government. Employees were also reminded that their appointment was not final until the end of the probationary period.
One fired DHA employee is now appealing his termination through the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and his local representative, stating he had received a good first review and strong references. Meanwhile, another Navy civilian employee is left in uncertainty after being placed on administrative leave without further guidance.
A separate Navy organization is also preparing for layoffs, but no probationary employees have been placed on leave to date.
Last month, the Office of the Secretary of Defense announced a 5-8% reduction in its civilian workforce with about 5,400 probationary employees expected to be terminated. The firings were put on hold initially to assess the national security implications.
Reach out to this reporter about these federal government changes at anastasia.obis@federalnewsnetwork.com or Signal at (301) 830-2747
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