An employee at the IRS experienced significant anxiety over the possibility of losing his job amid planned workforce reductions under President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s administration. Concerned about potential layoffs, he frequently checked a Reddit forum for federal employees and stayed connected with coworkers via group chat. The employee, who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of retribution, had anticipated the eventual job cut. When his manager informed him that he had been let go along with thousands of other probationary workers in an event referred to as the “Valentine’s Day Massacre,” he felt a sense of relief despite the situation.
These workforce reductions were part of a broader strategy affecting numerous government employees through methods such as a return-to-office mandate and mass resignation offers. Probationary employees, often identified as recent hires or long-term staff who had switched roles, were particularly targeted in February, following an order from the Trump administration for agencies to lay off nearly all of them. Government data indicated that as of March 2024, about 220,000 federal employees had less than a year of service completed.
Recent court rulings mandated the Trump administration to reinstate the dismissed probationary employees. However, this did not mean an immediate return to stability for these workers. Many faced new challenges preventing their return and continued to deal with the uncertainty surrounding their employment status.
One employee of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expressed the difficulty of being in a state of limbo, having been fired and then supposedly rehired without clear guidance on pay or benefits. This situation created significant distress and uncertainty about future employment.
The legal pushback against the firings resulted in a series of court challenges. Employees affected by the layoffs had to manage lost income, healthcare benefits, and significant disruptions to their lives. With no severance, the IRS employee applied for unemployment benefits, though approval was delayed. Meanwhile, the HUD employee faced immediate financial difficulties, with her retired parents providing assistance, particularly given her chronic illness and loss of health insurance.
In a recent legal development, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the reinstatement of thousands of employees across six federal agencies, deeming the terminations illegal. In Maryland, another judge ruled in favor of reinstating fired probationary workers from several federal agencies, responding to a call from 20 Democratic attorneys general. The Trump administration has since appealed these decisions.
While some employees have resumed their roles, others remain on administrative leave pending further instructions. Communication from federal agencies has been limited, with no clear timeline for their return. For instance, HUD has reinstated only a small fraction of affected employees, and the ongoing appeals process could result in further changes to employment status.
Amidst this uncertainty, both the IRS and HUD employees continue life much as they had before, awaiting updates on their employment situation. They expect their paychecks to resume, but other benefits, like health insurance, remain unresolved. The IRS employee expressed readiness to return to his position but is cautious about relying on it long-term. Similarly, the HUD employee has been searching for new job opportunities, realizing the need to secure her and her family’s future beyond the federal role.
This report was originally published on Fortune.com.
