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> That's not true. No, that's ^ not true ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ > How likely is it that 10 employees come back? Pretty much nobody is irreplaceable. > How likely is it t

> That's not true. No, that's ^ not true ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ > How likely is it that 10 employees come back? Pretty much nobody is irreplaceable. > How likely is it that critical institutional knowledge is lost forever? In the digital age, almost impossible. Documentation, process automation, and knowledge transfer mitigate this risk. > Does it? Have you ever been through a reorg or restructuring at work? Do things ever get back to just as effective as before any time soon? Yes, I've been through many re-orgs at AWS. If done right, things get better fairly quickly (3-6 months). > It's squandering human capital, knowledge, and reduced efficiency both in the short term and long term. It's the most expensive way to reduce your overhead. A far cry from optimization. Not necessarily. The short-term pain of restructuring can lead to long-term efficiency gains. Organizations that fail to optimize end up bloated and sluggish, which is far more costly in the long run. Smart cuts, when combined with proper reallocation of resources, create a more effective organization.

malfist 2y ago
> In the digital age, almost impossible. Documentation, process automation, and knowledge transfer mitigate this risk. Nobody is so thorough at documenting that their job is 100% documented and the documentation is fully up to date. You think Jim, who's been training the new hires on the factory floor for a decade, who knows all the tricks to making this fit together at wiget factory even when the process instructions are vague, has documented everything? Could document everything? Just be cause digital records are present doesn't mean they're complete, up to date or accurate. Institutional knowledge is a thing, and it's very valuable. You can't wave it away and say we're in a digital age.
- andreygrehov 2y ago
  > You think Jim, who's been training the new hires on the factory floor for a decade, who knows all the tricks to making this fit together at wiget factory even when the process instructions are vague, has documented everything? No, I don't think so. That's why the lay-offs predominantly target probationary employees.
  - eadler 2y ago
    What do you believe "probationary employees" means? What is their average tenure at the department?
    - andreygrehov 2y ago
      They are in the first year of employment.
      - eadler 2y ago
        Is this actually the case? what about people who were promoted or moved positions? Is this the case for all federal jobs or can it be longer for some roles?
      - jghn 2y ago
        No. They are in the first year of their current level/role. That may mean the first year of employment. It could also mean they were promoted.
        andreygrehov 2y ago
        Correct. The majority are not promoted. If they are in the first year of their current level/role and have previous experience, they still haven't accumulated much institutional knowledge to make them indispensable. While experience helps, their impact in a new role is still developing, and their departure is less likely to disrupt operations significantly.
anon84873628 2y ago
Your last sentence undermines the point in this case. What Musk and Trump are doing are hardly "smart cuts". They couldn't possibly be, with how quickly executed. They are a sledgehammer.
- andreygrehov 2y ago
  probationary employees
  - costigan 2y ago
    It hasn't been limited to probationary employees. Here's one example: https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-ban-renewing-senior-scientists-adds-assaults-its-house-research https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-ban-renewing-sen... Agencies have also been directed to make plans for "significant reductions". For example, EPA plans to cut 65%. Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are preparing for up to 40%. These latter cuts haven't happened yet, but they're very likely.
    - andreygrehov 2y ago
      That's correct. It hasn't been limited to probationary employees only, but many are. Those who are not either aren't needed or will be rehired if operations cannot continue without them.
  - linkregister 2y ago
    recent promotees are probationary
  - anon84873628 2y ago
    It's not just about the literal employee contracts. Telling all USAID workers to cease operations and come home within 30 days is still a "cut" even if they are still employed. Not hiring seasonal workers for national parks is a cut. Removing info from the CDC website is a cut. Cancelling the meeting on flu vaccines is a cut. It's a very hamfisted deliberate disruption of all operations and services. Which, again, can hardly be called "targeted" by any metric.
flybarrel 2y ago
> In the digital age, almost impossible. Documentation, process automation, and knowledge transfer mitigate this risk. Are you sure you really work at AWS? Dude, how often do you realize the documentation is not sufficient and you have to dig through people's brain to actually get the nuances, that is, lucky enough they are still around? lolll

malfist 2y ago

> In the digital age, almost impossible. Documentation, process automation, and knowledge transfer mitigate this risk. Nobody is so thorough at documenting that their job is 100% documented and the documentation is fully up to date. You think Jim, who's been training the new hires on the factory floor for a decade, who knows all the tricks to making this fit together at wiget factory even when the process instructions are vague, has documented everything? Could document everything? Just be cause digital records are present doesn't mean they're complete, up to date or accurate. Institutional knowledge is a thing, and it's very valuable. You can't wave it away and say we're in a digital age.

andreygrehov 2y ago
> You think Jim, who's been training the new hires on the factory floor for a decade, who knows all the tricks to making this fit together at wiget factory even when the process instructions are vague, has documented everything? No, I don't think so. That's why the lay-offs predominantly target probationary employees.
- eadler 2y ago
  What do you believe "probationary employees" means? What is their average tenure at the department?
  - andreygrehov 2y ago
    They are in the first year of employment.
    - eadler 2y ago
      Is this actually the case? what about people who were promoted or moved positions? Is this the case for all federal jobs or can it be longer for some roles?
    - jghn 2y ago
      No. They are in the first year of their current level/role. That may mean the first year of employment. It could also mean they were promoted.
      - andreygrehov 2y ago
        Correct. The majority are not promoted. If they are in the first year of their current level/role and have previous experience, they still haven't accumulated much institutional knowledge to make them indispensable. While experience helps, their impact in a new role is still developing, and their departure is less likely to disrupt operations significantly.

anon84873628 2y ago

Your last sentence undermines the point in this case. What Musk and Trump are doing are hardly "smart cuts". They couldn't possibly be, with how quickly executed. They are a sledgehammer.

andreygrehov 2y ago
probationary employees
- costigan 2y ago
  It hasn't been limited to probationary employees. Here's one example: https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-ban-renewing-senior-scientists-adds-assaults-its-house-research https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-ban-renewing-sen... Agencies have also been directed to make plans for "significant reductions". For example, EPA plans to cut 65%. Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are preparing for up to 40%. These latter cuts haven't happened yet, but they're very likely.
  - andreygrehov 2y ago
    That's correct. It hasn't been limited to probationary employees only, but many are. Those who are not either aren't needed or will be rehired if operations cannot continue without them.
- linkregister 2y ago
  recent promotees are probationary
- anon84873628 2y ago
  It's not just about the literal employee contracts. Telling all USAID workers to cease operations and come home within 30 days is still a "cut" even if they are still employed. Not hiring seasonal workers for national parks is a cut. Removing info from the CDC website is a cut. Cancelling the meeting on flu vaccines is a cut. It's a very hamfisted deliberate disruption of all operations and services. Which, again, can hardly be called "targeted" by any metric.

flybarrel 2y ago

> In the digital age, almost impossible. Documentation, process automation, and knowledge transfer mitigate this risk. Are you sure you really work at AWS? Dude, how often do you realize the documentation is not sufficient and you have to dig through people's brain to actually get the nuances, that is, lucky enough they are still around? lolll