11:58 again -- "bad" is relative term. In some cases they are not meeting performance expectations (though not documented in PMAPs) and in others they dont have the skills for the new direction of the office but are otherwise excellent employees.

This is happening at my job, too, and happens infrequently at my agency. When an office needs to be reorganized, they make everyone reapply for their (or new) positions. Everyone (feds) is guaranteed a job at current grades, but the description/placement might be different.

I think this is used to remove people who are in managerial roles to sideline them in hopes that they leave, if they are bad.

It is neither a desk audit nor a RIF, pending or otherwise.

I'm totally curious what is going on here. I work in Fed HR and have never heard of anything like this. I have only two ideas:

1. desk audit: I've seen the union file a grievance on behlaf of bargaining unit employees suggesting that they should be higher-graded. The agency did an evaluation, that may have included something liek an application, to determine the appropriate grade classification.
2 RIF: It may be that your unit is going through a RIF and they are asking people to submit application-like information in order to determine retention standing.

But neither of those is a perfect fit. I'm intrigued.

Yes, but I was going from a term position to a regular FT position.

So far no one is giving guarantees of another job at the same level.

My sense is the powers that be aren't satisfied with the folks at the given level as those people are from areas of which the powers have little knowledge of. It may be partially level of compensation; it may be the people they want are with lower skill sets and command lower levels of compensation.

I've heard of some businesses doing this but never at the federal level.

This often happens in the school system when they're reorganizing. If a school is underperforming (in a big way, I'll add), people are asked to reapply. Some are asked to return; others are placed.

My guess is if you don't return, you'll be guaranteed a spot at your current level, correct? It may not be your ideal job, but you'll still have one.

How is this possible? Are folks already encumbering an FTE at the same grade?

Dang, that must be demoralizing.

Sounds like they may be looking to get rid of the dead weight.

Yes, and u will soon be canned.

I've never heard of this before

This is an instance where everyone at a certain level is being asked to reapply.

I got my job when the person who had my position (term) before me didn't qualify for the cert, even though he'd been doing the job for four years!

How was it handled? Did everyone end up in the same job? At the same grade?