Conclusions and Next Steps
Conclusions
The workers who responded to this survey chose public service. Some reported waiting years for the opportunity, while some relocated their families, and dedicated their expertise to missions that directly benefit the American people. What happened to them was ruled unlawful. What it cost them — financially, professionally, psychologically — is documented here. What it cost the American public will take time to play out in it’s entirety.
This survey is a record, built by the people who lived this experience it, of what happened and what it means. 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 individuals who have long been out of the headlines. They hope this reporting will inspire academic groups and organization to conduct research into this population. There is a lot of important information to gather from these probationary individuals, and many are waiting to tell their stories.
What Needs to Change
Organizers of this survey have policy recommendations they believe may be best for their community. 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, but are potential ways to begin to support probationary employees like themselves. This is a large list of potential policy changes, as to say if even one or a few of these policies were implemented it would be extremely beneficial to organizers alike.
1. Full Accountability and Remediation for Affected Workers
● Provide full back pay and benefits to all workers who were unlawfully terminated, 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 may 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● Restore retirement contributions, accrued leave, and any ladder increases denied or rescinded as a result of the unlawful terminations.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) that were disproportionately targeted in the terminations.
● Reinstate workers who were fired through these programs and who wish to return, with full credit for prior service.
● Restore telework options that were part of the employment agreement 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 significant numbers of employees across the executive branch.
● Establish mandatory communication standards for employees during any administrative action (written notice, timeline, available options) to prevent the documented chaos these workers experienced.
● Prohibit agency HR 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 EAP (Employee Assistance Program) access to all workers who were unlawfully terminated, 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.
*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 respondents’ 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.