Fedearl Employees' Reductions in Grade and/or Pay

The normal option of penalties in response to an employee's misconduct or delinquency are: oral admonishment, reprimand, suspension, and removal. However, before a decision is made to remove, in some cases another disciplinary option may be a more appropriate response to an employee's misconduct - reducing him/her in grade and/or pay. In effect, a supervisor would demote the employee either by redesigning his/her current position to a lower grade or by moving him/her to a different lower- graded position. The change to lower grade may be within the employee's current workcenter or it may be to another position elsewhere on the installation. It must be to a position that is available to fill, that the employee qualifies for, and that the gaining supervisor is willing to accept the employee knowing the reasons for the placement action. Supervisors must consult with their servicing personnel office to determine if this is a viable option. Each case must be looked at on a case-by-case basis.