RIFs are a complicated, time-consuming process for agencies, experts say
If the Trump administration doesn’t get the number of resignations it’s hoping for through its “deferred resignation” program, agencies may have to prepare for the administration’s next possible move to reduce the size of the federal workforce: conducting reductions in force (RIFs) . But conducting a RIF is a much lengthier and more complex process than what the Office of Personnel Management is so far attempting to do through its deferred resignation program. The program was initially set to expire Feb. 6, but the offer has since been put on hold by a federal judge . In the meantime, federal employees at agencies such as the General Services Administration have been told that a nonvoluntary RIF is expected “shortly.” Ron Sanders, a former career federal executive, views the two efforts toward reducing the size of the federal workforce differently — with one being a “blunt instrument” and the other being a “scalpel.” “Reducing head count through separation...