Most agencies don’t have the necessary protocols in place to run a proper RIF. As such, it will take some agencies / years before they are really able to start the process.

Anonymous wrote:So what if you have 20 years but just moved to a new agency? Are you still considered senior at the new agency for rif purposes? After a very long run at my old agency I switched to one of the ones on the chopping block and am concerned.

OPM runs the RIF process. First, however, the agency usually runs a VERA/VSIP. Then there is an org analysis. Individuals cannot be targeted for reduction, but positions are. Everyone that might be affected by a RIF in an organization must create a RIF resume, which is like a federal resume BUT EVEN MORE DETAILED. Then basically everyone gets to compete for the positions that remain, in order of federal seniority+vet preference. So if they decide that a bunch of 15's are being eliminated, those 15s may end up taking remaining 14 and 13 slots, bumping the people in those positions, and so on and so on. If based on the RIF resume it appears that a 13 can do a 9's job with some retraining, then that 9 gets bumped if they have less seniority, etc. You don't really get much time to accept the new position, and if you decline then you can get let go with no severance I believe.

And then at the end of the year+ long process you have some number of people that will get separated with severance, with CTAP and ICTAP preference. Severance is based on time in service, and is paid out to you like salary, which means that you continue to get paid for some period of time while you apply for other federal jobs. But everyone that got RIFed at my last agency ended up with new positions even before the RIF completed. Understood that this will be less likely this time around unless folks are willing to be Border Patrol.

It's really a long, exhausting, demoralizing process, and I have no idea how OPM will manage to run RIFs across a large number of agencies all at once. But the chaos is the point.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/reductions-in-force/#url=Overview

My agency’s union only allows 2 ratings — Meets or Does not Meet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an easy way for feds to do a RIF- get rid of anyone with a 3/5 or just a “meets expectations” on their performance evaluations. It means they did poorly but not poorly enough that their bosses could put them on immediate PIPs. But their bosses wished they could.

Not across the board. 3s indicate doing their job and doing it well. There was a big push to calibrate ratings to reflect actual performance. 4s have become inflated 3s in some agencies. Really, to achieve a 5 across the board, you've got to be outstanding.

My initial thought was the same -- anyone with a rating of 3 is gone because I know those are are poorer performers. But that's not the same experience at my husband's agency, where they don't hand out 4s and 5s like candy like mine does. You really have to work to get even a 4.

Anonymous wrote:I have an easy way for feds to do a RIF- get rid of anyone with a 3/5 or just a “meets expectations” on their performance evaluations. It means they did poorly but not poorly enough that their bosses could put them on immediate PIPs. But their bosses wished they could.

Not across the board. 3s indicate doing their job and doing it well. There was a big push to calibrate ratings to reflect actual performance. 4s have become inflated 3s in some agencies. Really, to achieve a 5 across the board, you've got to be outstanding.

I have an easy way for feds to do a RIF- get rid of anyone with a 3/5 or just a “meets expectations” on their performance evaluations. It means they did poorly but not poorly enough that their bosses could put them on immediate PIPs. But their bosses wished they could.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what if you have 20 years but just moved to a new agency? Are you still considered senior at the new agency for rif purposes? After a very long run at my old agency I switched to one of the ones on the chopping block and am concerned.

No but all being equal another person with longer tenure at your agency will beat you out

No im not stilll considered senior at the new agency and my 20 years won’t be worth more than 5 year employee at new agency?

yup. You are worthless for your agency.

Not true, it’s total federal service - not time at one specific agency.