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Personnel News

"Rightsizing" – The New Name for Getting Rid of People at NASA

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
September 6, 2005

Editor’s note: According to an internal NASA memo: “Rex Geveden reported on an Institutional Requirements Review that is starting as a result of the decision at the Strategic Management Council not to approve an over-guide in the Corporate G&A budget. This review process will be outlined in a call letter to be issued on Friday. Rex underscored that it will be requirements driven. We have a target number of “right-sizing” HQ at 1000 people, but this is only a target and can/will be adjusted if the requirements call for more. The activity will focus on near-term decisions needed for FY06, and also consider the longer term process.

This will be led by Rick Keegan with Chris Jedry as his deputy. Inputs will be due Sept. 14, with decisions by the end of Sept. Part of the process will be analysis by PA&E. Offices will be asked to rank order activities, something that has been missing in prior reviews of this type.

The idea is to focus on the role of corporate HQ, what do we need to do here, and what should be done at Centers. As part of this process, there will be a HQ hiring freeze. The process for exceptions to this rule has not been decided, but will be constrained. I’ll let you know when we get more information.”

Reader comment: NASA LaRC currently planning to “descope” contracts and replace with CS people. Kind of the last few years in reverse. Number right now is 300 – 400 contractor employees to be let go this Fall. This was discussed in a recent senior management strategy meeting. – LaRC employee.

GRC Reader comment: Keith, As part of the “Life Sciences Shutdown,” you just posted the following:

It has been said that a large group of the civil servants are still under the older Federal rules and are actually waiting for the RIF for its severance aspects. That is also one reason why previous buy-out attempts in the last few years have not been particularly successful in getting civil servants to leave in significant quantities

We at GRC have been repeatedly told that if a person is annuity-eligible, they will NOT receive any severance but will immediately begin to receive their annuity. In those situations, the individual would be better off taking the buyout.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.