One Year After the Probationary Purge: How We Move Forward & Final Thoughts
The Probationary Project part 5: Read the conclusions and next steps proposed by survey organizers
In May 2026, probationary employees from across the federal government released survey results of the impacts of the February 2025 firings on them and the American public. 27 UNIHTED hosts the results on their website. These Substacks break down and analyze the categories covered by the survey. To read all of the results, please visit the Probationary Project homepage. You can also interact with the data dashboard on the Tableau page and catch up on the other breakdowns on 27 UNIHTED’s Substack.
In this section of the Probationary Project survey, we share conclusions drawn from data analysis and recommendations for policy changes that could begin addressing the harm caused by these unlawful firings.
Conclusions
The workers who responded to this survey chose public service. Some reported waiting years for the opportunity to work in the federal government, many relocated their families for their job, and all of them dedicated their expertise to missions that directly benefitted the American people. What happened to them was ruled unlawful. What it cost them — financially, professionally, and psychologically — is documented in our survey and this collection of Substacks. What it cost the American public will take time to play out.
This survey is a record of what happened and what it means, and it was built by people who lived this experience. What comes next depends on whether those with the power to act choose to do so.
What Organizers Hope Comes from This Survey
Organizers hope this survey will bring attention back to this group of federal probationary employees who have long been out of the headlines. They hope this reporting will inspire academic groups and organizations to conduct further research into this population and the ongoing effects of these unlawful firings. The survey gathered a lot of important information from these probationary individuals, and many more are waiting to tell their stories.
What Needs to Change
Organizers of this survey developed policy recommendations they believe may help their community and future federal employees. They acknowledge this survey’s purpose is not to influence policy and recognize that these policy proposals would not remedy or necessarily make the entire population of probationary employees whole. These recommendations are potential ways to begin to support probationary employees. Implementing even one or a few of these potential policy changes would be extremely beneficial to the probationary employee community.
1. Full Accountability and Remediation for Affected Workers
● Provide full back pay and benefits to all unlawfully terminated workers, including those reinstated and then terminated a second time.
● Ensure all workers receive complete, accurate employment documentation, termination records, reinstatement records, and performance reviews in compliance with court orders, as some workers still lack appropriate termination documentation.
● Restore retirement contributions, accrued leave, and any ladder increases denied or rescinded as a result of the unlawful terminations.
● Compensate workers for documented financial losses: loan costs, retirement withdrawals made under duress, and relocation costs caused by the terminations.
2. Strengthen Legal Protections for Probationary Federal Employees
● Clarify and codify protections for probationary employees in statute, closing the loophole that allowed mass terminations based on employment status rather than individual performance.
● Require individualized, documented cause for termination of any probationary employee moving forward.
● Establish a clear, timely appeals process with binding enforcement, not advisory rulings, so that court findings of illegal termination result in real remedies for workers.
● Protect misclassified employees: roughly 2% of respondents terminated were not probationary. Protections are necessary to cover workers harmed by administrative error.
3. Rebuild the Federal Talent Pipeline
● Restore and expand competitive federal hiring programs (i.e., Presidential Management Fellowships, recent graduate programs, and agency-specific pipelines) disproportionately targeted in the terminations.
● Reinstate workers fired through these programs who wish to return, with full credit for prior service.
● Restore telework options on the employment agreements for many workers.
● Invest in transparent additional recruiting that directly addresses what happened in February 2025 and demonstrates concrete reforms.
4. Protect the Federal Workforce from Politically Motivated Mass Actions
● Prohibit mass reductions in force based on employment status categories rather than individual performance, the specific mechanism that made these firings possible.
● Require independent congressional oversight review before any mass reduction in force exceeding a significant number of employees across the executive branch.
● Establish mandatory communication standards for employees during any administrative action (written notice, timeline, available options, etc.) to prevent the documented chaos these workers experienced.
● Prohibit agency human resources departments from restricting performance ratings or retaliating against supervisors for submitting accurate evaluations.
● De-politicize sub-agency leadership by shifting from presidential appointments back to merit- and expertise-based civil servants.
5. Address the Mental Health Consequences of These Firings
● Extend federal employee health insurance and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all unlawfully terminated workers for a minimum of 24 months from the date of termination.
● Fund independent research into the mental health consequences of mass government workforce reductions using the clinical-scale data this survey has begun to document.
● Ensure reinstated workers have access to workplace trauma resources.
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