Guidance From OPM Reductions in Force Furloughs
The true path of federal funding and employment will be discerned during the months and years to come. It is a fair guess, however, that there will be some reductions of personnel at some agencies. A few small agencies may become extinct. There may be budgetary shortfalls. None of this information is news.
But of interest are two publications offered by the Office of Personnel Management prepared in anticipation of what may yet be.
First, there's the March 2017 "Workforce Reshaping Operations Handbook." It summarizes the role of the Human Resources offices of agencies in the restructuring process, the existing statutory and regulatory flexibilities and limitations on realignments of personnel, and most particularly, reductions in force or means to avoid RIFs, and the Handbook restates existing OPM regulatory guidance. It represents a readable, if somewhat opaque, explanation of the RIF process (OPM cannot make the process much clearer than its own regulations, which are not as transparent as might be desired). Check it out at:opm.gov.
And, second, we have the March 2017 OPM "Guidance for Administrative Furloughs," covering both administrative (planned) furloughs and "shutdown" furloughs, when the agency unexpectedly runs out of money. The Handbook, likes its companion on "Reshaping" is free of unnecessary citations to regulations or MSPB or court cases. It provides as clear an explanation of the furlough process as can be accurately provided based on OPM instructions. Check this one out at: opm.gov.
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