A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says executive actions and follow-on Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance issued since January 2025 led multiple agencies to tighten probationary and trial-period practices and, in some cases, reduce staffing by separating employees who had not yet completed required service periods.
- Timeframe: GAO reviewed actions taken since January 2025, including agency responses to presidential directives and OPM guidance, according to the report.
- Who is affected: Employees in probationary periods for new competitive service hires and employees in trial periods (commonly used in the excepted service), as well as new supervisors and managers still completing required service periods, GAO said.
- What changed: GAO found agencies updated internal policies and procedures on probation/trial management, including how performance or conduct issues are documented and how separations are processed during these periods.
- Staffing impact: GAO reported that some agencies reduced staffing levels among probationary and trial employees as they implemented the directives and guidance. The report did not characterize the changes as governmentwide layoffs, but said the reductions were concentrated among employees who had not yet completed their required service periods.
- Implementation varied: GAO said agency actions were not uniform, with differences in how quickly agencies adopted new procedures and how broadly they applied them across components.
- Employee notice and process: GAO noted that probationary and trial employees generally have fewer procedural and appeal rights than tenured employees, which can shorten timelines for agency action.
Context: Probationary periods are a long-standing feature of federal hiring and are typically used to assess a new employee’s fitness for continued employment. GAO’s report focuses on how agencies used that existing framework—along with updated OPM guidance and executive direction—to accelerate or standardize decisions affecting employees who had not yet completed required service. GAO also highlighted that supervisory and managerial probation requirements can affect employees promoted into leadership roles, not just new hires.
What it means for you: If you are a probationary or trial employee—or newly promoted into a supervisory/managerial role—GAO’s findings suggest agencies may be applying stricter documentation and faster decision timelines. Employees should review their appointment type and required service period, keep records of performance feedback, and promptly seek clarification from HR on local policy changes. For employees facing separation, GAO’s report underscores that available review options may be limited compared with those for employees who have completed probation.
Source: GAO Reports