# Federal Agencies Face Workforce Retention Risks

Federal employees describe political and workforce uncertainty as influencing decisions to remain in government, retire early, or move between agencies. The accounts differ on how probationary status relates to reductions in force: some commenters say probation alone does not determine inclusion, while another reports that employees with extensive federal service were dismissed after becoming probationary at a new agency. A commenter also says supervisors are now expected to actively endorse probationary employees. These accounts are not an authoritative statement of government policy, but they highlight workforce-continuity risks that can affect agency operations and contractor support.

- Agencies and contractors may face retention and institutional-knowledge risks that affect continuity of mission and contract performance.
- For interagency hiring, agencies should clearly document appointment tenure and probation terms, as indicated by the reported uncertainty around employees’ status after moving agencies.
- Contractors supporting affected programs may need to account for potential changes in government staffing and knowledge transfer when planning transition and delivery.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** November 07, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. federal government

### Key Quotes
> They would for bad behavior. But we let go folks during the doge purge who had 10+ fed experience, they were just probationary in our agency, nothing that they did wrong
> — Community commenter

### Sources
- [Work decisions based on current political circumstances](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1xq429p/work_decisions_based_on_current_political) - reddit-fedemployees