OPK advises agencies to fire test staff after ‘exposed resignation’ deadline

On February 14, 2025By Littum

The Office of Personnel Administration advises all federal agencies to fire their sampler after it stopped accepting new offers for its “postponed resignation” program last night.

However, agencies have the final authority over the removal of their test employees.

A source who is familiar with OMB’s decision -making process told Federal News Network that Om met with agencies and provided them with guidance to dismiss trial staff with “exceptions to case to case.”

The source described OM’s communication to agencies as “soft guidance” and that “agencies can independently decide how to move forward.”

A OPPLY spokesman told the Federal News Network that “the trial time is a continuation of the job application process, not a right to permanent employment.”

“Agencies are taking independent actions in the light of recent employment freezing and in support of the president’s wider efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government to better serve the US people to the highest possible standard,” the spokesman said.

Trial periods for federal employees typically last for one year. Under smaller common circumstances, certain agencies and federal positions require two-year-olds or even three-year probation. In general, the longer trials are reserved for law enforcement authorities and certain employees of the Department of Defense.

While the federal government has not yet published data beyond March 2024, historic trends suggest that there are approximately 200,000 people in government positions with a year or less service at a given time.

The latest OPSE data show that 216,079 federal employees had one year’s service or less, from March 2024. The five-year average across government is 192,774 employees with one year’s service or less.

OPK asked agencies earlier this month to send a list of test employees and whether they would keep them or not. Agencies were given a 200 -sign limit to explain why a trial employee should remain in the government.

Om also fired his own trial staff at a meeting on Thursday afternoon.

An OPS employee told Federal News Network that about 70 employees were at the meeting on Thursday afternoon. Probationary employment with less than one year’s service was called to a video conference -meeting at 1 p.m. 14.00 -After receiving an E -Mail message approx. 15 minutes before.

During the meeting, which included comments from acting OPSE Director Chuck Ezell, test staff was told that they would be terminated from their job at 1 p.m. 15 today.

OPS WORKING TRAINING DATA from March 2024 shows that over the past five years, the agency has had 144 employees with one year’s service or less.

According to the OPS employee, a trade union representative was not present at the meeting – and the meeting’s moderator deactivated microphone and camera access for all employees on the call after someone asked about trade union representation.

OM told Federal employees in an E email on Wednesday night that its deferred resignation is closed and that any resignation received after 1 p.m. 19.20 Eastern on February 12, will not be accepted.

This is an evolving story and will be updated.