AUTHORITY
R2-5-902
ARS §41-763-04

DEFINITIONS
“Reduction in Force (RIF)” means a reduction in the number of persons employed by a business, government department/agency, especially for budgetary reasons.

POLICY

Pertinent Questions: 

• Why is a RIF being considered?
• Have alternatives been discussed?
• Will the agency eliminate state service positions? Uncovered positions? Reduction-in-force rules apply only to state service positions and employees, but ADOA can assist with separations and transfers of uncovered employees. 
• If the RIF goes forward, will the RIF be agency wide or limited to a smaller group, i.e., organizational unit, agency operations in a geographic area, etc.?
• How does the agency plan to determine the positions to be eliminated?
• Has the agency considered that the state service employees selected for separation pursuant to the personnel rules may not be the incumbents in the positions the agency wants to eliminate?
• When does the agency plan to accomplish any necessary transfers?
• Are the positions actually going to be abolished or is the funding simply gone for the positions? Develop a list of the state service positions proposed for elimination.  Form RIF 2 should be used for this purpose. 
  

Dates 

• The agency plan should be sent to ADOA thirty days before the date the agency intends to begin the RIF.

• How much advance notice will employees who are being separated be given, e.g., one week, two weeks, one day?   A.A.C. R2-5-902 (F) specifies an agency head shall provide written notice at least five working days in advance to each employee identified for transfer, reduction, or separation unless circumstances beyond the agency’s control do not permit at least five day’s notice.
  

• Dates for calculating retention points based on performance are different from the dates used for calculating retention points based on length of service.  Performance points involve the three most recent performance evaluations in the twenty-four months concluded before the date of request for the reduction-in-force.  Length of service points accrue at one per month of state service in the current class series during the sixty months before the reduction-in-force implementation date.  (form RIF-1)
  

• Date to begin sending job offer letters to employees. (Letter C)
  
• Date to separate state service employees who do not have permanent status. (Letter D)
  
• Date to begin separating state service employees with permanent status. (Letter E)
  
• Expected end date of RIF.
  

Other Matters

• Depending on the operational needs of the agency, the agency head may direct that vacant state service positions in the agency will be held open for possible use during the RIF.
• Depending on the operational needs of the agency, the agency head may decide to stop salary increases for state service positions unless the raise is mandated by law. 
• The agency head may want to keep the impending RIF in mind when making any personnel related decisions such as deciding whether to approve salary increases for positions not in state service, reorganizing agency units, establishing new positions, etc. 
• If uncovered employees will also be let go because of funding or for other reasons, they are not a part of the RIF because the RIF only applies to state service positions; however, ADOA can help the agency with the separation letter. 
• Will employees be allowed to take leave time or use state time to look for jobs, utilize the Career Center, or go to job interviews? See Letter E. 

Communications with agency employees

• Remind the agency head or designee to decide what communications will be sent to agency employees and when the communications will be made: (1) to announce the reduction-in-force; (2) any statements on progress of the reduction-in-force; and, announcing completion of the reduction-in-force.
  

OTHER

Forms and Letters:

• Form RIF-1:  Retention Point Calculations
• Form RIF-2:  Positions to be Abolished
• Letter A:  Request for RIF Approval
• Letter B:  State Service Employee Retention Point Notification
• Letter C:  Job Offer Within Agency
• Letter D:  Separation of Original Probation Employee
• Letter E:  Permanent Status State Service Employee Separation Letter
• Letter F:  State Service Employee Repromotion Offer – Intervening Class
• Letter G:  State Service Employee Repromotion Offer – Previous Class

AREAS IMPACTED
All System A State Agencies
CONTACTS
If you have any questions related to HR Policy, please contact your agency’s Human Resources Office/representative.

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