The US Energy Department is set to terminate probationary employees today at 5 p.m. ET, as reported by sources familiar with the situation. The exact number of employees facing dismissal remains uncertain, with ongoing developments within the department.
Probationary employees, typically defined as federal employees with less than one year of service, may also include those with less than two years, according to a recent Office of Personnel Management memo. Approximately 2,000 probationary employees are currently employed at the DOE, with the impact of the impending layoffs yet to be determined.
The Energy Department's acting general counsel held a meeting with department heads to identify 'mission-critical' probationary employees who could potentially be spared from the job cuts. However, final decisions on exemptions had not been made as of the latest update.
Reports indicate emotional scenes during a recent meeting where multiple employees were let go due to their tenure of less than two years. Notably, the DOE's chief information office is expected to witness a reduction in staff by about 9%, raising concerns about the agency's cybersecurity readiness. Furthermore, a significant number of deputy Energy Department chief information officers have either accepted buyouts or are considering leaving their positions.
Last week, the department appointed SpaceX engineer Ryan Riedel as the chief information officer, responsible for overseeing technology acquisitions and safeguarding sensitive data within the department.
