Four employees were fired from the Columbia Environmental Research Center Friday as part of a sweeping, nationwide effort to remove probationary workers from the federal government.
Federal employees typically remain on probation for one year after being hired, according to the Associated Press. During that time they are less protected from being fired.
The Columbia Environmental Research Center, also known as CERC, conducts environmental research on problems related to contaminants and habitat alterations both on land and in water.
CERC did not confirm the firings, but someone familiar with the situation told KBIA four people were fired.
One worker who was told Friday that they were being fired spoke to KBIA on the condition of anonymity.
Though rumors were circling in online forums on sites such as Reddit, the former employee said uncertainty loomed at CERC for most of the week.
"Our supervisors were in the dark about everything, and our supervisors' supervisors were also not informed of a lot of what was going on," they said.
The employee had worked at CERC for less than a year before being told of their termination by their supervisor around noon Friday.
"Things are disorganized," they said. "We're still waiting for official notice."
"CERC was quite understaffed as it is," they added. "When I first started working here, I basically had a plate of things that I had to get going on."
The employee told KBIA they moved to Columbia for the job.
"There's a lot of work that happens through the federal government in Columbia," the former employee said. "That's not just limited to CERC."
"It really attracts a lot of people from all around to come here to do the work, and I'm concerned that this might impact the city in general as well," they added.
CERC is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, which is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Hill reported the department pink-slipped 2,300 probationary employees Friday.
