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Proposed RIF Regs Address Retention Credit Based on Performance
Changes to reduction in force (RIF) regulations have been proposed by
OPM and published in the Federal Register on February 4, 1997. OPM's proposal:
- enhances the opportunity for Federal employees to receive additional
retention service credit in a RIF based on their actual rather than
assumed job performance;
- gives agencies with employees who have been rated under different
patterns of summary rating levels a mechanism to take this into account
when awarding employees additional retention service credit in a RIF;
and
- provides technical clarifications on the use of critical and non-critical
elements, the appraisal period, and delay of an acceptable level of
competence determination.
Greater Use of Actual
Performance. OPM has proposed to increase the emphasis on actual
job performance when granting additional retention service credit:
- The period of time prior to the RIF which the agency uses to find
the three most recent ratings of record will be lengthened over the
next 2 years from 4 years to 6 years. For example, after 1997, if an
employee has been given two ratings of record during the previous 4
years, a rating given in the fifth year prior to the RIF will be used
to credit three actual ratings.
- Fewer assumed ratings will be needed. For employees with only one
or two ratings available during the 6 years prior to the RIF, an average
of only those actual ratings will be used to grant additional credit.
If no ratings are available and an employee has one or more years of
current continuous service, the rating given most often to employees
under that summary level pattern (i.e., the modal rating) will be used
to determine additional retention service credit after October 1997.)
Retention Service Credit.
OPM proposes to delink specific amounts of additional service credit from
specific rating levels when an agency has employees in a competitive area
who have been rated under different patterns of summary rating levels.
The proposed regulations give agencies the option to:
- set the amount of credit for each level within its pattern; and
- decentralize the authority to make these determinations to each competitive
area.
Technical Clarifications.
At the same time RIF regulations are addressed, changes are proposed to
the performance management regulations to clarify the following:
- critical elements may be used to measure only individual performance;
- non-critical elements may not be used in appraisal programs that summarize
performance at only two levels (pass/fail); and
- each appraisal program may designate only one appraisal period that
generally shall be 12 months in length.
In addition, the OPM proposal clarifies that the determination of an
acceptable level of competence for within-grade increases may be delayed
in two and only two circumstances:
- when an employee has not served under elements and standards for the
minimum period specified by the pertinent appraisal program; or
- when an employee is reduced in grade because of unacceptable performance
to a position in which he or she is eligible for a within-grade increase
or will become eligible within the minimum period.
OPM' proposed regulations can be downloaded from OPM's
Internet home page.
Originally published on February 1997.