WWTBAM Bored

Another day, another retirement. This time it's our Procurement Analyst, who also serves as my backup database administrator. We're going through a lot of this because a lot of our employees are of the same age and "vintage" (length of service), so they're reaching retirement age at the same time. Last month it was a branch chief, and over the next four months we'll be losing three more of our specialists. We're losing a lot of "institutional knowledge" - OTOH one might say that it's a chance to start doing things differently; certainly things are changing in the procurement universe and newcomers will be better able to adapt. I've got a few more years before retirement and right now I am 5th in seniority (out of 40 people).

I hope your boss gets serious about hiring replacements. He can't deny all vacation requests just because there's no one to pick up the slack!

MarleysGh0st wrote:I hope your boss gets serious about hiring replacements. He can't deny all vacation requests just because there's no one to pick up the slack!

We are hiring, and for specialists it's not that involved. There's a replacement for our Procurement Analyst, too, but she has no experience with database administration and, beside that, the vendor from whom the government bought the software requires that a person attend a week-long training class before allowing that person to be an "authorized caller" (someone who can call the help desk and ask for assistance). There's are separate classes to teach how to write queries (two different systems, two different classes), and getting the new person into those classes will take time. Not to mention that she'll have to be brought up to speed on her primary duties, which also may require classes.

Now you might think that the time to think about these problems was when the current person announced her retirement, and you'd be right. Unfortunately it's hard to hire someone when the job is still filled (no chance to learn the ropes from the incumbent), not to mention often the person is from outside. I suggested to my boss that we find someone in the office to take the backup responsibilities (we have one or two very knowledgeable younger employees) but he wanted to keep them attached to the analyst's position.

earendel wrote:Another day, another retirement. This time it's our Procurement Analyst, who also serves as my backup database administrator. We're going through a lot of this because a lot of our employees are of the same age and "vintage" (length of service), so they're reaching retirement age at the same time. Last month it was a branch chief, and over the next four months we'll be losing three more of our specialists. We're losing a lot of "institutional knowledge" - OTOH one might say that it's a chance to start doing things differently; certainly things are changing in the procurement universe and newcomers will be better able to adapt. I've got a few more years before retirement and right now I am 5th in seniority (out of 40 people).

Wednesday is a strange day to retire on. Don't most people leave a job on a Friday?

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:

earendel wrote:Another day, another retirement. This time it's our Procurement Analyst, who also serves as my backup database administrator. We're going through a lot of this because a lot of our employees are of the same age and "vintage" (length of service), so they're reaching retirement age at the same time. Last month it was a branch chief, and over the next four months we'll be losing three more of our specialists. We're losing a lot of "institutional knowledge" - OTOH one might say that it's a chance to start doing things differently; certainly things are changing in the procurement universe and newcomers will be better able to adapt. I've got a few more years before retirement and right now I am 5th in seniority (out of 40 people).

Wednesday is a strange day to retire on. Don't most people leave a job on a Friday?

Not always, but today's Thursday anyway.

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:

earendel wrote:Another day, another retirement. This time it's our Procurement Analyst, who also serves as my backup database administrator. We're going through a lot of this because a lot of our employees are of the same age and "vintage" (length of service), so they're reaching retirement age at the same time. Last month it was a branch chief, and over the next four months we'll be losing three more of our specialists. We're losing a lot of "institutional knowledge" - OTOH one might say that it's a chance to start doing things differently; certainly things are changing in the procurement universe and newcomers will be better able to adapt. I've got a few more years before retirement and right now I am 5th in seniority (out of 40 people).

Wednesday is a strange day to retire on. Don't most people leave a job on a Friday?

That would depend on when your weekend is.... but then again, if it's your last day, why bother working the full week anyway....

lb13

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:

earendel wrote:Another day, another retirement. This time it's our Procurement Analyst, who also serves as my backup database administrator. We're going through a lot of this because a lot of our employees are of the same age and "vintage" (length of service), so they're reaching retirement age at the same time. Last month it was a branch chief, and over the next four months we'll be losing three more of our specialists. We're losing a lot of "institutional knowledge" - OTOH one might say that it's a chance to start doing things differently; certainly things are changing in the procurement universe and newcomers will be better able to adapt. I've got a few more years before retirement and right now I am 5th in seniority (out of 40 people).

Wednesday is a strange day to retire on. Don't most people leave a job on a Friday?

Actually today is Thursday and her last day, technically, is tomorrow. But I won't be in tomorrow (it's my compressed day), and her "retirement reception" is today. So for all intents and purposes she's gone.

earendel wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote:I hope your boss gets serious about hiring replacements. He can't deny all vacation requests just because there's no one to pick up the slack!

We are hiring, and for specialists it's not that involved. There's a replacement for our Procurement Analyst, too, but she has no experience with database administration and, beside that, the vendor from whom the government bought the software requires that a person attend a week-long training class before allowing that person to be an "authorized caller" (someone who can call the help desk and ask for assistance). There's are separate classes to teach how to write queries (two different systems, two different classes), and getting the new person into those classes will take time. Not to mention that she'll have to be brought up to speed on her primary duties, which also may require classes.

Now you might think that the time to think about these problems was when the current person announced her retirement, and you'd be right. Unfortunately it's hard to hire someone when the job is still filled (no chance to learn the ropes from the incumbent), not to mention often the person is from outside. I suggested to my boss that we find someone in the office to take the backup responsibilities (we have one or two very knowledgeable younger employees) but he wanted to keep them attached to the analyst's position.

That is very odd. Over the past year, thre has been a Commander's Edict here that an office must have a contingency plan and contingency file in place before an employee can retire. It is a postive step to assist with passing that institutional knowledge to the replacement, whom we want to hire before the other heads out the door. (In some cases, the retired person returns for a short period as a retired annuitant.)

Appa23 wrote:

earendel wrote:We are hiring, and for specialists it's not that involved. There's a replacement for our Procurement Analyst, too, but she has no experience with database administration and, beside that, the vendor from whom the government bought the software requires that a person attend a week-long training class before allowing that person to be an "authorized caller" (someone who can call the help desk and ask for assistance). There's are separate classes to teach how to write queries (two different systems, two different classes), and getting the new person into those classes will take time. Not to mention that she'll have to be brought up to speed on her primary duties, which also may require classes.

Now you might think that the time to think about these problems was when the current person announced her retirement, and you'd be right. Unfortunately it's hard to hire someone when the job is still filled (no chance to learn the ropes from the incumbent), not to mention often the person is from outside. I suggested to my boss that we find someone in the office to take the backup responsibilities (we have one or two very knowledgeable younger employees) but he wanted to keep them attached to the analyst's position.

That is very odd. Over the past year, thre has been a Commander's Edict here that an office must have a contingency plan and contingency file in place before an employee can retire. It is a postive step to assist with passing that institutional knowledge to the replacement, whom we want to hire before the other heads out the door. (In some cases, the retired person returns for a short period as a retired annuitant.)

I don't know if there's such a thing in place here (I woud say not, given the events in question) - it sounds like a really good idea. The person who takes the position is supposed to have experience in doing the primary functions of the job - reviewing solicitations, keeping abreast of changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and the various supplements, and other such things. It's those "other duties as assigned" that are the sticking point from my perspective. And quite frankly there aren't many districts where the database administrator for the contracting system is actually a contracting person - often they are IT people assigned to CT to do that task - meaning it would be hard to find a replacement with the specific skill set that the current Procurement Analyst has.

Of course if I go out this afternoon and am hit by a bus, there is no contingency in place to replace me.

earendel wrote: Of course if I go out this afternoon and am hit by a bus, ...

Since I saw Juliette's flash back on Lost, I don't say this any more. I think there are Others around me...

earendel wrote:Of course if I go out this afternoon and am hit by a bus, there is no contingency in place to replace me.

Oooh! Ooooh! I'll take your place! Let me see if I can find where _TPTB_ hid my resume....