The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently updated a directive originally issued in January, which called on agency heads to identify probationary employees. This revised memo includes a clarification that OPM is not mandating any specific performance-based actions be taken by the agencies. Instead, the memo emphasizes that the agencies themselves retain the “ultimate decision-making authority” regarding any potential disciplinary actions or firings.
This development highlights the continued autonomy of federal agencies in managing their personnel decisions, notwithstanding overarching guidance from OPM. The revised memo appears to reaffirm the balance of power, allowing agencies the flexibility to handle performance-related issues internally.
For further details, the full article can be accessed via Law360.