A bill introduced in the House on Friday would lengthen the amount of time federal employees would have to serve on probation before moving into a full-time competitive service job.
The bill (H.R. 1470), sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., would extend the probationary period for new federal employees from one year to two. The bill also would prohibit workers who are transferred, promoted, demoted or reassigned to a new position from counting previous service toward the two-year probationary requirement of a new job.
The now-defunct Federal Career Intern Program was opposed by unions in part because it required a two-year probationary period. Earlier this year, President Obama signed a memorandum that created a new Pathways hiring program for students and recent graduates that includes a one-year probationary period.
What are your thoughts on extending the probationary period as it relates to IT jobs? Is one year enough time to judge new employees, or is more time needed?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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