Intro To The Probationary Project

40+ probationary federal workers created a survey to evaluate the impacts of the unlawful probationary firings in 2025. Now, they’re publishing the results and stories gathered.

May 19, 2026

In February 2025, the federal government unlawfully fired thousands of probationary employees across nearly every agency in the Executive Branch. These were not performance-based terminations, although documentation from many probationary workers initially stated otherwise. In September, a federal court ruled the firings unlawful, while also noting most of these employees had “moved on.” Individuals conducting this survey had not completely moved on, and they wanted to account for what others in their situation experienced. One year later, this survey documents what happened to many of these illegally fired probationary federal workers, and what it cost the American people.

Survey results are broken down into sections including an introduction to respondents, impacts the respondents’ terminations had on the American public and the government workforce, levels of communication and transparency regarding these firings, and impacts to respondents’ career trajectories and personal lives. Organizers conclude with short data reflections and a set of potential solutions to protect probationary workers moving forward. We will post each section separately over the coming days and weeks, sharing agency/topic area specific findings.

If you are interested in learning more about this project, please join survey organizers on the 21st for a virtual town hall and Q&A at 3:00PM Est.

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*Disclaimer: The survey did not request that respondents provide personal identifying information (PII), and results are published as aggregated responses for each question. Organizers did not verify the identity or status of respondents, and respondents self-selected to participate. No single question required an answer. Thus, the percentages for each question share only the respondent’s answers for that particular question, meaning the totals vary throughout the results. Respondents did not receive an incentive to complete the survey; participation was completely voluntary. This is not a research project.

The Probationary Respondents

Respondents were located across the country in 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands from agencies and departments across the government. Reinstatement and termination experiences varied widely, as did the length of probationary periods, although most respondents reported a 1- or 2-year probationary period.

Read about the Probationary Respondents

Impacts to the American Public

Survey responses indicate one thing: the loss of their positions will directly and indirectly cause human suffering. For example, respondents reported the following negative impacts to federal civil service:

• Larger workload for remaining employees

• Loss of institutional knowledge

• Loss of young civil service talent

• Reduced public services

The firings resulted in significant impacts to the government workforce due to the number of years many respondents served as contractors prior to their federal service, and the fact that most fired employees held advanced degrees, with the most common education level being a master’s degree.

Read About The Impacts To the American Public

Respondents shared a significant number of quotes showcasing the damage.

“My termination caused a direct impact to veteran mental health services, with over 80 cancelled appointments in one week. This caused significant stress to veterans who were already seeking support.”

“[Because of my termination there is a] greater risk of Americans being exposed to preventable diseases. Increased likelihood of another global pandemic.”

“As a result of my job loss, and the dismantling of USAID, millions of people have died. The US was not able to support earthquake recovery efforts in the South Pacific, we were unable to support people fleeing conflict in Africa, and we were unable to support lifesaving programs for medicine, vaccines, and health exams for millions of people around the world.”

Government Transparency

A series of questions focused on the communications respondents received and respondents’ trust of leadership after the unlawful terminations. Only 16% of respondents reported that their agency/department acted transparently about the termination and court hearings, and a significant portion of respondents said they did not trust their leadership. Many respondents who were reinstated described the communications they received as “unclear,” “delayed,” and generally inadequate.

Government Transparency Dashboard

Career-Level Impacts

This survey included questions about respondents’ job search, employment status, and new career salaries to get a sense of their statuses one year later.

The survey found that 21% of respondents remained unemployed as of January 31st, 2026, and 7% worked part-time jobs. Of those who are employed, 49% reported earning “significantly lower” salaries, 19% reported “lower” salaries, and the remainder reported their salaries stayed the same or increased.

Dashboard on Career-Level Impacts

Personal Impacts

This survey also gathered information about the personal repercussions of the firings on respondents, asking about mental health, well being, and financial metrics. Six months after their firing, respondents reported adverse effects on their mental health. More than 90% reported negative symptoms that affected their daily lives. Many respondents also experienced depression or apathy, sleep disruptions, trouble concentrating, appetite changes, and/or thoughts of suicide. More than half of the respondents reported trauma-like experiences. A quarter of respondents reported starting a new medication to manage mental health symptoms that developed after they were unlawfully fired.

Personal Impacts Dashboard & Report

Conclusions and Next Steps

Across the board, responses indicated a lack of support for the government firings by respondents and their public counterparts, negative shifts in mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing, a clear lack of human services, and mismanagement of the firing process for respondents. Although this survey is not representative of every single probationary employee, the results collected point to permanent impacts for the vast majority of these respondents.

Organizers of this survey drafted policy parameters they think would be helpful to their community. These recommendations are a step towards rectifying the lives of those impacted and protecting the broader American public from reckless government rearrangement. Read through the entire policy draft.

To you, the reader, thank you so much for investigating these firings and the aftermath. Please share the findings of this survey, share respondents’ stories, and support the federal workers in your life. They chose to serve for a reason, and the 40+ probationary employees who created this survey did so for the same reason: to continue to serve the American public.

Our Story and Methods

This survey was the product of collaboration by many people and organizations. Read the story of the probationary firings, how this survey came about, and the methods used for this survey.