This time, more layoffs have hit the federal government. This time we will be the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the leading US weather forecaster, and the world's finest research institute for ocean and air.
CBS News reports that 880 employees have been cut across NOAA, which is about 7% of the workforce, including Earth's scientists, meteorologists, computer modelers and space weather forecasters. Several features have already been shut down (such as the launch of weather balloons that provide raw data for weather models).
What these employees had in common was that they were on probation. This is not a form of punishment, but a habit of the federal employment system. By law, federal civil servant employees will begin new roles during a one-year probation period. This primarily means new hires, but also covers people who have been in agents who have been promoted or transferred to different roles for years. Approximately one government worker is on probation at any time.
“Like most jobs, it gives employers the opportunity to assess your performance,” said Amelia Grinff, deputy chief of staff of the United States Government Employees Federation, the largest union for federal workers. “They don't have as many rights as full-time employees.”
During probation, the government has a “burden of why it's in the public interest” to hire them, according to the US Merit System Protection Commission.
“Your period of probation should be seen as an extension of the employment process,” says Robert Schreiber, managing director of the powerful initiative of civil servants at Democratic Forward, whose purpose is to provide information and resources to government workers. “I think you'll find a good federal manager right away, whether someone is in a job or not.”
So why do federal probation last for a long period of up to two years?
Part of the reason is that many federal jobs, such as law enforcement, require extensive training. It can take weeks just to learn to navigate the government's bureaucracy. Certain job functions can only be performed at certain times of the year, such as when Congress is being held. Other roles require workers to create reports, analysis, or surveys that take months to meet and weeks to assess.
Furthermore, once employees graduate from probation, they become strong employment protections that make it difficult for them to fire. This is to encourage civil servant workers with specialized training and expertise to stay at work. It also helps protect your role from the whims of politicians.
However, probation employees also have some protections. According to federal courts, they cannot dismiss it without any performance issues, and the Trump administration's mass shootings could be illegal. But while the judicial process is moving slowly, thousands of federal employees have already put their desks down and are being locked out of their offices.
“The courts are overwhelmed because there hasn't been anything like this before, and I think that's part of it. [Trump administration’s] Schreiber said.
And layoffs are not the only way in which agencies see their numbers falling. The vacancy remains unbuilt while existing staff acquire buyouts alongside normal attrition from retirement. The government-wide disruption has made it an unattractive job, blocking future workers from applying.
For institutions like NOAA, which conducts unparalleled urgent research with the private sector, it leads to a long-term squeeze of their workforce that undermine American safety and economic health.
