QUESTION
What steps are being taken to meet the ambitious headcount reduction goal?
2:50:40
·
3 min
The NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) has entered into an attrition plan and engaged in discussions with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to backfill critical positions when necessary.
- OATH has given up vacancies and future vacancies as part of the attrition plan.
- Discussions with OMB have allowed for critical operations positions to be backfilled if necessary.
- OMB has scrutinized and approved requests to hire for critical needs despite the attrition plan.
- The agency is committed to complying with the ambitious headcount reduction goal set in the peg plan.
Lincoln Restler
2:50:40
And just broadly while we're on the topic of staffing, the old head counts currently, I believe, at 444.
2:50:48
The That's 16 positions over the budgeted head count, the 428.
2:50:52
The f FY 25 both budgeted head count is down to 3.96.
2:50:57
That would represent an 11% elimination of your workforce much greater than any rate of potential attrition.
2:51:04
Have you taken any steps to meet this new head count goal?
2:51:07
Are you expecting that you will be required to require to comply with it or lay off something that need to be considered to meet such an ambitious reduction in account.
Asim Rehman
2:51:16
It is an ambitious reduction.
2:51:17
And as part of the November plan peg, we entered into an attrition plan.
2:51:23
With OMV, which meant not only did we give up vacancies, but we gave up future vacancies that if there's attrition, that line will go towards the that's, of course, a concern to any agency with the numbers that you mentioned.
2:51:37
But we've had open discussions with OMB where if a position has been vacated where it is a critical operations issue, critical operations position, where losing that line is going to derail everything.
2:51:51
Then we've been able to engage with OMB of okay.
2:51:54
You you need to let us fill backfill this line.
2:51:57
We can put this one towards the peg and we've reviewed those with OMB.
2:52:01
OMB has scrutinized them, and they've given us the green light on some of these to go ahead and hire people where even though we have a nutrition plan, we've been giving permission to backfill when we've demonstrated that it's a critical need.
2:52:12
That's very important to us.
Lincoln Restler
2:52:14
So you are expecting to comply with the 11% headcount reduction and have a 396 headcount by FY Twenty thought.
Asim Rehman
2:52:24
It's what we put in as part of the peg.
2:52:26
It's what we've committed to doing.
Lincoln Restler
2:52:28
What's the current headcount today?
Pauline Toole
2:52:30
What's the current head down today?
Joseph Wagner
2:52:32
We're at about 3.
David M. Carr
2:52:38
That.
Asim Rehman
2:52:46
So around 445.
2:52:48
Yeah.
Lincoln Restler
2:52:48
Okay.
2:52:49
So I I just mean to say we're over the FY 24 budgeted headcount.
2:52:54
That's a 50% reduction essentially over the next 3 to starting in 3 months.
2:53:02
I don't understand.
2:53:03
I mean, I'm I'm not a I don't know your workforce intimately, but 1 out of 9 people disappearing the attrition in the next few months seems unlikely.
2:53:13
So I just wanna reiterate my question.
2:53:18
You expect to reach this massive headcount reduction goal in in this very short time frame?
Asim Rehman
2:53:24
We ultimately expect to reach it The timing of it does depend on attrition.
2:53:30
And if we get to a point where those numbers have not been met by the start of the the next fiscal cycle, we will have to have a conversation with ONB about that.
Lincoln Restler
2:53:39
Okay.
2:53:40
I mean, I just I have to say, we're already seeing hearing time resolution go up.
2:53:45
We're already seeing trial time resolution go up because of the significant increase in the number of cases that are going your way.
2:53:51
How you could possibly manage a double digit percent reduction in your workforce and not have an enormous impact on being able to manage this caseload seems impossible.
2:54:03
So I don't understand what OMB is thinking.
2:54:06
I don't understand the analysis here.
2:54:08
It makes no sense to me whatsoever.
2:54:10
Yeah.
2:54:12
There's not a question there.
2:54:13
It's just a statement of being utterly confused at what they're doing.
2:54:19
I wanna just touch touch on another topic and then pass it over to my colleagues.