Sorry, long post...
First, the unnecessary government employee who thinks she is owed a position…
Trump cancelled the Presidential Management Fellows program, firing a few thousand employees in the program.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/02/presidential-management-fellows-at-a-loss-after-trump-orders-programs-elimination/
from the article:
"Bianca Nelson had been employed as a fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She was six months away from completing the PMF program at her agency, where she had been working directly with New York and New Jersey residents who were dealing with complex housing issues. Her job was to help local residents avoid eviction and homelessness, figure out how to get out of a shelter or learn how to buy a home.
Nelson had planned to convert into a permanent federal position and spend her career in public service. But on Feb. 14, she received a three-sentence email from her agency informing her that she was terminated, effective immediately.
"I had wanted to retire out of this job. I did not have a plan B," Nelson said in an interview. "I didn't think I was going to have to job search again anytime soon. I've been spending the last week trying to get myself together and figure out where I want to go next."
Despite being fired, Nelson plans to return to public service as soon as possible.
"I absolutely refuse to be bullied out of public service," she said. "I will do whatever it is that I have to do to try and help people and help the public."
Pretty disgusting.
Now, a different perspective…
If you're not familiar with the Pareto Principle, it's the general rule that 20% of people do 80% of the work. The actual number can vary, but the principle is the same.
As many of you know, most Probationary employees were laid off, because they are usually in their first year of federal service and can be fired for no reason. However, some career employees take a new position or a promotion and sometimes become probationary again, (as a technicality).
One 18-year employee I know, just did that. She technically took another position a few months ago, for the convenience of the government. It was actually the same position but for two smaller offices, instead of just the one. No good reason to have two separate employees when one could handle both offices.
She is an admin officer and so takes care of all administrative duties to include employee travel, property book management, purchasing and pretty much anything that comes up. Better to have a lower paid employee doing those tasks than a bunch of higher paid ones who should be working on their actual job.
So now she's unemployed and others will have to pick it up. This means law enforcement who should be out of the office working will spend more time behind a desk taking care of admin duties.
Yeah, the private sector gets fired too. That doesn't make it right. Losing your retirement after 18 years is messed up whether it be private or govt employment. Losing your health insurance when you've been coming to work while fighting cancer is messed up.
A significant difference between the PMF employee who was fire and this employee is that this employee is the 1% of people doing 90% of the work. I could call her at 2a.m. with a question and she would answer the phone, even on a weekend.
She wasn't the intended target of laying off probationary employees, just bad timing for her. I understand DOGE doesn't have the time or resources to use a scalpel instead of a hatchet to trim the fat of the federal behemoth; There's so much fat. I just thought I would put a face on one employee who is the actual model government employee. She can work in the private sector, but she's a little older and with the health issues...
Plus, losing her decreases our productivity. She'll probably be replaced with a slacker govt employee.
I still support thinning the government and actually place the blame for her on the department / agency. The VA made a list of who was essential (doctors, nurses etc.) and got exemptions approved. I think some of the other agencies are doing malicious compliance to make it look bad, or they're in denial of what's coming.
Low hanging fruit has been done, time to evaluate GS12's and above (usually management) to see who is needed. IMO, that's where the real fat lies.
First, the unnecessary government employee who thinks she is owed a position…
Trump cancelled the Presidential Management Fellows program, firing a few thousand employees in the program.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/02/presidential-management-fellows-at-a-loss-after-trump-orders-programs-elimination/
from the article:
"Bianca Nelson had been employed as a fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She was six months away from completing the PMF program at her agency, where she had been working directly with New York and New Jersey residents who were dealing with complex housing issues. Her job was to help local residents avoid eviction and homelessness, figure out how to get out of a shelter or learn how to buy a home.
Nelson had planned to convert into a permanent federal position and spend her career in public service. But on Feb. 14, she received a three-sentence email from her agency informing her that she was terminated, effective immediately.
"I had wanted to retire out of this job. I did not have a plan B," Nelson said in an interview. "I didn't think I was going to have to job search again anytime soon. I've been spending the last week trying to get myself together and figure out where I want to go next."
Despite being fired, Nelson plans to return to public service as soon as possible.
"I absolutely refuse to be bullied out of public service," she said. "I will do whatever it is that I have to do to try and help people and help the public."
Pretty disgusting.
Now, a different perspective…
If you're not familiar with the Pareto Principle, it's the general rule that 20% of people do 80% of the work. The actual number can vary, but the principle is the same.
As many of you know, most Probationary employees were laid off, because they are usually in their first year of federal service and can be fired for no reason. However, some career employees take a new position or a promotion and sometimes become probationary again, (as a technicality).
One 18-year employee I know, just did that. She technically took another position a few months ago, for the convenience of the government. It was actually the same position but for two smaller offices, instead of just the one. No good reason to have two separate employees when one could handle both offices.
She is an admin officer and so takes care of all administrative duties to include employee travel, property book management, purchasing and pretty much anything that comes up. Better to have a lower paid employee doing those tasks than a bunch of higher paid ones who should be working on their actual job.
So now she's unemployed and others will have to pick it up. This means law enforcement who should be out of the office working will spend more time behind a desk taking care of admin duties.
Yeah, the private sector gets fired too. That doesn't make it right. Losing your retirement after 18 years is messed up whether it be private or govt employment. Losing your health insurance when you've been coming to work while fighting cancer is messed up.
A significant difference between the PMF employee who was fire and this employee is that this employee is the 1% of people doing 90% of the work. I could call her at 2a.m. with a question and she would answer the phone, even on a weekend.
She wasn't the intended target of laying off probationary employees, just bad timing for her. I understand DOGE doesn't have the time or resources to use a scalpel instead of a hatchet to trim the fat of the federal behemoth; There's so much fat. I just thought I would put a face on one employee who is the actual model government employee. She can work in the private sector, but she's a little older and with the health issues...
Plus, losing her decreases our productivity. She'll probably be replaced with a slacker govt employee.
I still support thinning the government and actually place the blame for her on the department / agency. The VA made a list of who was essential (doctors, nurses etc.) and got exemptions approved. I think some of the other agencies are doing malicious compliance to make it look bad, or they're in denial of what's coming.
Low hanging fruit has been done, time to evaluate GS12's and above (usually management) to see who is needed. IMO, that's where the real fat lies.