16 hours ago
Interior raises bar for probationary employees to stay hired
The Interior Department has barred the automatic hiring of new employees at the end of their probationary period, a change that is part of a broader Trump administration effort to reshape the federal workforce.
Under the mandate, federal employees will be terminated at the end of their trial employment — usually one to two years from their hiring date — unless the agency determines otherwise, according to a personnel bulletin from Jennifer Ackerman, director of Interior's Office of Human Capital. It was signed Monday.
Under the Trump administration, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has sought to shrink Interior's more than 60,000-strong workforce, an agenda that has included proposed budget cuts, voluntary resignation programs and early retirements, as well as consolidation of some areas like human resources and information technology.
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All new federal employees, as well as some federal employees who changed to a different job but remained in federal service, go through a trial period before they are granted full status and greater labor protections.
