{"id":1097,"date":"2020-06-15T13:36:33","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T17:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psychology.news\/news\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2020-06-15T13:36:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T17:36:33","slug":"the-american-psychological-association-downsizes-eliminating-100-employment-positions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psychology.news\/news\/2020\/06\/15\/the-american-psychological-association-downsizes-eliminating-100-employment-positions\/","title":{"rendered":"The American Psychological Association downsizes, eliminating 100 employment positions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The American Psychological Association downsizes, eliminating 100 employment positions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is a letter that recently went to staff at the American Psychological Association. 50 filled positions at APA were terminated and 50 empty positions won’t be filled. There is no word on how many of those individuals who were let go were in areas related to practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Dear\u00a0APA staff \u2013\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This morning, APA underwent a major restructuring that required a reduction in force. I\u2019m sending\u202fthis email to you this evening to\u202fgive you more information.\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Each person\u202fwhose position was eliminated\u202fwas notified\u202findividually\u202fearlier today.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with\u00a0the question, why a reduction in force?\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In February at an\u00a0all-staff town hall meeting,\u00a0I informed you\u00a0that\u00a0while our Fiscal Year 2020 budgeted deficit was less than last year\u2019s deficit, this was because of one-time revenue in this year\u2019s budget, and we were still facing a large continued structural deficit. At that time, I indicated to you that the gap between our expenses and revenue was not sustainable and that\u00a0we would need to close that gap. The APA Board of Directors requested I bring a plan to achieve this to their June meeting and that this plan\u00a0be consistent with our Council-adopted strategic plan.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Additionally, the\u00a0existing\u00a0structural budget deficit\u00a0is\u00a0now\u00a0being\u00a0exacerbated by the\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0pandemic. Ongoing uncertainty in scholarly publishing,\u00a0investments,\u00a0and\u202fthe real estate market mean we\u202fmust act not only urgently, but\u00a0thoughtfully\u00a0to ensure APA has a strong future.\u202fThe impact of the pandemic will not be temporary, so we must think long-term.\u202fIt\u202fis my job and the job of the\u00a0Board of\u00a0Directors to ensure that APA is focused on and\u00a0has\u00a0enough resources to accomplish the work that advances our strategic objectives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Executive Management Team and I began work to assess how to get there. EMG members were tasked with\u00a0assessing\u00a0the alignment of resources, skills, and existing approaches\u00a0within their units\u00a0to achieve\u00a0our\u00a0strategic priorities. The\u202fwhat\u202fwe do and the\u202fhow\u202fwe do it were our collective\u00a0focus.\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

So how was it approached?\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We began by\u00a0carefully\u00a0assessing our\u00a0organizational\u00a0goals and\u00a0obligations\u00a0and how our expenses were\u00a0aligned\u00a0with them.\u202fWe\u00a0first\u00a0made\u00a0significant\u00a0reductions in\u202fnon-salaried\u202fitems, including outsourcing\u00a0the print shop, reducing\u00a0the\u00a0amount of space that APA occupies\u00a0in\u00a0the building, and\u00a0centralizing\u00a0key\u00a0operations,\u00a0like\u00a0moving existing staff into a new\u00a0budget and finance\u00a0team. We carefully assessed\u00a0vacant positions\u00a0and\u00a0eliminated\u00a0approximately\u00a050\u00a0of those\u00a0positions.\u00a0\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Some staff have asked about the financial impact of eliminating travel and meetings for 2020 because of the pandemic. These actions will offer a short-term financial benefit, as will the decision to cancel the in-person convention and offer a virtual experience instead. Although this will provide one-time savings this year, it does not offer a solution to the long-term structural misalignment that we have between our expenses and revenue.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As I said during\u00a0February\u2019s town hall\u00a0and\u00a0my\u00a0virtual\u00a0Coffee and Tea sessions\u00a0when staff have asked me about layoffs, nothing \u2013 including layoffs \u2013\u00a0was off the table.\u00a0Given the size of the fiscal challenge we faced, we had to consider all options to\u00a0reduce our expenses. Our staff are\u00a0and remain\u00a0our greatest asset. Clearly a reduction in force was our least desirable option.\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, in the face\u00a0of the large deficit and the additional unforeseen uncertainty of a global pandemic,\u00a0there was no way to\u00a0ensure the long-term health of the organization without considering\u00a0and implementing\u00a0a reduction in force. Each Chief made decisions\u00a0for\u00a0his or her\u00a0area\u00a0based on the work ahead and the capacity of the teams to accomplish it, and approximately 50\u00a0filled\u00a0positions\u00a0in total\u00a0were eliminated\u00a0across the organization, in addition to the approximately 50 unfilled\u00a0positions also eliminated.\u00a0 Our\u00a0Chiefs\u00a0approached these decisions in the most thoughtful way\u00a0possible and in a way\u00a0that would allow APA to continue to deliver on our important mission.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It is important to note\u00a0that\u00a0EMG focused on positions, not people.\u00a0I know that may sound like\u00a0a distinction without a difference, but the difference is important. Our friends and colleagues whose last employment day was today\u202fwere working in positions that\u202fwere\u202feliminated, positions whose work will cease or be absorbed by others. It is not a reflection on them or their work, but on the position they held.\u202fWe are sorry to see them go and wish them\u00a0all\u00a0the best.\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

How are we treating the people who are gone?\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

We wanted to take care of our colleagues whose positions were eliminated\u00a0today.\u202fWe recognize the hardship and fear they may be facing, and the\u00a0effect\u00a0this has on their lives, particularly in this\u00a0unparalleled time.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Every employee who left today has been offered a generous severance package. In addition to the severance calculation outlined in our employee policies, which is based on factors like tenure, all employees whose positions have been eliminated as part of this action have been offered an additional three months of severance pay. APA is also paying for extended health care coverage via COBRA for employees and their families through the end of 2020, which includes\u00a0APA\u2019s generous\u00a0mental health coverage benefit.\u00a0And\u00a0APA is\u00a0extending access\u00a0to the employee assistance program for the affected employees and their families for as long as they remain COBRA eligible, which provides counseling and support, as well as emotional support for staff as they engage in the process of seeking new job opportunities. In addition,\u00a0because the\u00a0position eliminations\u00a0have been due in part to the\u00a0pandemic, our former employees should be eligible for\u00a0additional\u00a0unemployment\u00a0benefits.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What is next?\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This week, we will begin processing these changes and looking toward the future. Tomorrow, I will host an all-hands virtual\u00a0APA\u00a0staff meeting to talk through these changes and take your questions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I have\u00a0also\u00a0asked EMG members to\u00a0be available\u00a0tomorrow\u00a0to answer\u00a0questions and talk about what the changes in the budget and staffing mean to the team members who remain.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

What does this mean about the\u00a0organization\u2019s\u00a0future?\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I believe APA has a bright future.\u00a0I\u00a0am so proud of the hard work everyone has been doing to move us through organization-wide transformation, align with our strategic goals, and shift to a more collaborative and innovative workplace\u00a0even\u00a0in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic. I\u202fbelieve in this team and know we can move together to a new normal.\u202fI have watched you rise above a pandemic and come together in ways we could not have imagined. I have seen APA transform itself. I know brighter days lie ahead.\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

When\u00a0I first\u00a0came to APA\u00a0over\u00a0three years ago,\u00a0I told you that we would\u00a0transform this organization together. The financial situation meant we had to reduce positions, but we are not reducing our commitment to\u00a0achieving\u00a0the\u00a0strategic priorities that have been adopted by\u00a0the Association\u2019s governance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This means we are counting on you more than ever.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u202f\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I usually end my emails with \u201cstay inspired.\u201d That is because I believe that inspiration is what drives us, engages us, reminds us why\u00a0we are doing the important work of the Association:\u00a0\u201cto benefit society and improve people\u2019s lives.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Today I would add that we also need to stay connected \u2013 whether creating a space to process this news, like tomorrow\u2019s all-hands staff meeting, or thinking about how we can continue building stronger cross-organizational ties going forward. The world is\u00a0evolving, and APA with it. It will take all of us to ensure that change takes us where we want to go.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A.C.E.<\/em><\/p>\n

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