anonymously contributed:
Weapons Complex Monitor
December 8, 2011
DOE Looks To Reduce Workforce By 1/3 Through Attrition, Buyouts
The Department of Energy is looking to reduce its number of full time federal employees by up to a third from the current level of around 15,000, DOE Chief Human Capital Officer Mike Kane said at the Energy Facility Contractors Group semi-annual meeting yesterday. He said that the Department will have to tighten its belt as it anticipates major budget cuts. “Are you at a point where you can tell me that federal [Full Time Employees] are going to be preserved? The answer to that is no. There are going to be changes in employment in a number of programs,” Kane said, adding that at this point he does not anticipate involuntary layoffs, and that the reduction is instead taking place through buyouts, attrition and early retirement. Kane expects the Department to go down to about 12,000 employees by the end of the Fiscal Year, and to further reduce its workforce to between 9,000 and 11,000 employees by the start of FY2014.
Managers anticipating staffing cuts are already starting to leave DOE, some taking advantage of buyout programs, Kane said. “People are beginning to move, and they are beginning to move for several reasons. First, we still don’t have ‘12 numbers and they are watching those numbers. They are watching very closely where those numbers go programmatically, but more importantly they are watching where it goes staffing wise,” he said. “They are worried that staffing levels are going to go down and the fed’s abilities to access talent on the support service time of the house is going to be impacted by the budget cuts. That’s real.”
14 comments:
Finally a good idea from the Dept. I fully support reducing the number of DOE oversight/audit/policy personnel.
It's not enough, they need to completely eliminate the DOE/NNSA. They offer no value.
You can be sure that if the DOE believes they must reduce the size of their civil service workforce by a third by 2014 then they plan on reducing the size of their contractor workforce (inc. the labs) by at least that amount.
This gives you some scope as to just how big the layoffs will be that are coming throughout the complex. It's likely to be extremely painful and the biggest workforce reduction program we've ever seen.
Seen on the streets of America wearing filthy clothes and holding a handwritten cardboard sign sometime in 2013...
"Have nuclear weapons design experience. Will work for food."
Why not eliminate DOE entirely?
So are we going to see any buy-out at LANL or LLNL to meet their goal or is this just reserved for the white colar workers, you know those who get big bonus checks when the rest go with no pay rasies at all.
Reducing the DOE staff by 1/3 will increase the labs and GOCOs effectiveness significantly.
The DOE folks have a few functions that they must do well, but they duplicate too many other tasks.
It is good the get them down to a smaller number.
A 2/3 reduction would be even better. These could manage the GOCOs more effectively, concentrating on the important matters while leaving the business of accomplishing science to the subcontractors.
From today's Washington Post:
"The Army said Thursday it is moving forward with plans announced in July to cut about 8,700 positions, using a mix of early retirement offers, buyouts and attrition to trim the jobs by the end of the fiscal year in late September.
“Army commands and agencies are continuing to take necessary actions to reduce their civilian on-board strength to meet funded targets established by the secretary of defense and reflected in the President’s budget,” Thomas R. Lamont, assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, said in a statement. “To the maximum extent possible, the Army will rely on voluntary departures to achieve these manpower reductions.” "
Amazing. Just simply amazing. Defense following the President's budget and having layoffs. Energy still waiting for the Congressional increase in budget before acting. Speaks for itself.
So are we going to see any buy-out at LANL or LLNL to meet their goal or is this just reserved for the white colar workers, you know those who get big bonus checks when the rest go with no pay rasies at all.
December 9, 2011 7:22 AM
The objective of LANS is rather than give employees a buy-out, is to wear us down with miniscule raises, frozen salary concept, incompetent/inept management, "substantially mediocre" personnel evaluations, no opportunities for advancement or training, giving us "Utrain", subjecting us to continual audits and assessments, forced and unwanted job transfers, maintaining Cold War antiquated and dangerous nuclear facilities, bringing in Livermore managers to lead Los Alamos, giving us PBIs, posting signs indicating to wear "shoes that grip" and giving us Bret Knapp.
“The objective of LANS is rather than give employees a buy-out, is to wear us down with miniscule raises, frozen salary concept, incompetent/inept management, "substantially mediocre" personnel evaluations, no opportunities for advancement or training, giving us "Utrain", subjecting us to continual audits and assessments, forced and unwanted job transfers, maintaining Cold War antiquated and dangerous nuclear facilities, bringing in Livermore managers to lead Los Alamos, giving us PBIs, posting signs indicating to wear "shoes that grip" and giving us Bret Knapp.”
December 10, 2011 3:40 AM
Your poor thing. I know exactly how you feel – bad management is the only thing holding me back too. You are seeking other employment – right?
Your poor thing. I know exactly how you feel – bad management is the only thing holding me back too. You are seeking other employment – right?
December 10, 2011 4:44 AM
Thanks. Nope, I'm hanging around making it miserable for my management and everyone else around me. It's the LANS model.
So are we going to see any buy-out at LANL or LLNL to meet their goal or is this just reserved for the white colar workers, you know those who get big bonus checks when the rest go with no pay rasies at all.
December 9, 2011 7:22 AM
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Remember as LLNL and LANL employees we are not DOE or NNSA employees. So there will be zero federal help for us. We only show up in the federal budget as "$" signs - unlike DOE/NNSA employees that are on the federal head count of each agency.
So from a federal budget stand point, if LANL and LLNL take a big budget hit, what happens to the employees is an LANS and LLNS headache.
Think back to the big layoff at LLNL after transition. It was the NNSA site office that forced LLNS to give no advance notice as to who was getting axed. LSO did nothing to help with this process.
Let me begin by saying I too would like to see the DOE/NNSA bureaucracy removed from the face of the earth. However, I don't think, at least in the short term, that this drastic reduction in DOE (and one assumes NNSA) force will make our lives better in the short run. I think that in the throes of the down sizing we will be faced with more delays. Remember, that the raison d'être for a bureaucracy is to continue and enlarge its existence. We would exhibit extreme naïveté if we thought the rules and regulations would be removed with the workforce. For at least some time, if not forever, those impediments will be on the books with less people to enforce them. Now that may mean you can get away with something if they don't have eyes on you (don't get caught) but it can also mean that paperwork to get things done at the labs could be stalled. California's DMV and Court system are examples of that.
And if things aren't getting done and DOE/NNSA says we need more manpower to get things done, does anyone expect congress to intelligently step in and say streamline the process, you are bloated. That would be the pot calling the kettle black.
We would exhibit extreme naïveté if we thought the rules and regulations would be removed with the workforce.
Very true. We will have to see how it plays out.
Still a step in the right direction.
For at least some time, if not forever, those impediments will be on the books with less people to enforce them.
And if we can manage to acquit ourselves well there may be less impetus in the future to attempt to restore the "help". Hell...the silly corporate model may even look better (I know I'm grasping...) after the "clots" are removed.
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