Welcome to the State Personnel Administration Reduction-In-Force(RIF) information page. This page is designed to provide guidance, information, and answers about the RIF process.
A Reduction-In-Force is the separation from the job or reduction in time status (furlough) of one or more employees. Acceptable reasons for proposing a RIF include reorganization and budgetary adjustments or shortfalls. In addition to using the RIF process for reductions in time status and separations, it should also be used for involuntary demotions, salary reductions, and transfers, if either of those actions is taken due to reorganization or budget reduction.
Reduction-In-Force guidelines can be found in State Personnel Board (SPB) Rule 19. While it is only mandatory that the RIF process be applied to classified employees, we recommend it be followed for all employees and that all employees be considered when instituting a RIF. We do not endorse the practice of only separating unclassified employees or only separating classified employees, when their status as classified or unclassified is the only criteria. Because the RIF process uses objective criteria, decisions made using it are less likely to be successfully challenged.
We have developed an Excel Spreadsheet to assist agencies with the Reduction-In-Force process. This RIF Tool (RIFT) will be helpful because:
It is self-contained! When properly completed, it provides all of the information required to process the RIF request;
It includes links to the appropriate SPB Rules and notes to clarify some of the required information;
It provides a snapshot of which employees will be affected and the data can be sorted in a variety of ways. This snapshot has proven to be invaluable to a number of agencies that used RIFT in their planning processes;
RIFT standardizes the RIF format, taking the guesswork out of submitting a RIF.
RIFT in Excel 
RIFT in PDF 
If you do not have access to Microsoft Excel, you should still use State Personnel Board Rule 19 as a guide. Just use the attached PDF RIF file as a guide or print it out, fill it in, and send it to the GMS Commissioner.
Assistance with the RIF process and with RIFT is available in the State Personnel Administration's Legal Services Division at (404) 656-2660.
Let us know what you think of this new tool. Call us at the numbers above or e-mail us at rif-info@spa.ga.gov.
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