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Q&A
Discussion on DOI's hiring challenges and two-for-one policy
0:58:39
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Council Member Restler and Commissioner Strauber discuss the significant challenges DOI faces in maintaining adequate staffing levels. They focus on the impact of the two-for-one hiring policy and the lengthy approval process for new hires.
- DOI has lost over 25% of its headcount since April 2020, despite an increase in cases and investigations.
- The two-for-one policy requires DOI to lose two positions before hiring one new employee.
- The process for seeking exceptions to the two-for-one policy is time-consuming and involves extensive back-and-forth with OMB.
Lincoln Restler
0:58:39
So I'm, as I know you are from your testimony and from our previous conversations, deeply concerned about the reductions in your headcount.
0:58:48
Based on our analysis, going back to April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, we've lost fully a hundred headcount, over 25% of the DOI headcount in that five year period.
0:58:59
That is, you know, incredibly challenging considering the impressive increase in arrests, investigations, cases that, have been referred to DOI, during this period.
0:59:14
And we're, I guess, to no one's surprise, in the Adams administration experiencing record numbers of arrests, cases being investigated and d and and investigations by DOI.
0:59:24
I'm particularly concerned about how OMB impedes your ability to do your job.
0:59:32
Can you confirm as as you can you elaborate as as as indicated in your testimony, the two for one hiring restrictions remain in place, so only when two people leave, one person's able to replace them.
0:59:44
And you you give some examples here about when you identify candidates, how hard how slow it is for OMB to approve new hires when you identify candidates?
Jocelyn E. Strauber
0:59:55
Yeah.
0:59:56
Those are those are really the same issues.
0:59:58
Right?
0:59:58
So so two for one means we have to lose two people in order to hire one person.
1:00:05
And so it can take a very long time for us to receive the allotment that we need to hire staff when other staff have left.
1:00:16
There is also a review process when we're seeking exceptions to the two for one, which we are allowed to ask.
1:00:25
I mean, I suppose anyone is allowed to ask.
1:00:27
But that can also take time for that exception to move through the process.
1:00:31
There's a fairly extensive back and forth.
1:00:33
So that that has been a challenge to us in filling positions.