Posted on October 2, 2009

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Smithsonian Offers Buyouts to Employees

Hoping to reduce its workforce, meet scaled-down budget goals, and restructure to better align staff with the objectives of its new strategic plan, the Smithsonian Institution has offered its employees a voluntary buyout package, the Washington Post reports.

The buyout offer was announced earlier this week in an internal e-mail to the Smithsonian's six thousand employees, about two-thirds of whom are federal workers (the rest are paid through the Smithsonian's unrestricted nongovernmental accounts). To be eligible for the offer, employees must have been continuously employed by the Smithsonian for the past three years and must retire or resign no later than January 2. When the Smithsonian last proposed a buyout in 2003, approximately two hundred and forty employees accepted the offer. This time around, the buyout amounts will vary but will not exceed $25,000 for any individual, according to the institution.

At a meeting of the Smithsonian board of regents last week, Secretary G. Wayne Clough introduced a five-year reorganization plan, with a focus on designing an interdisciplinary approach that combines the disparate strengths of the Smithsonian's museums and research centers "in ways that increase perspective and impact." He also offered a road map for the future of the institution that included "an entrepreneurial culture that leverages emerging technology, rewards innovation, and invents new business models that help us build capacity and extend our reach." Clough told the Post he hopes that by 2015 the Smithsonian will be organized around four purposes: unlocking the mysteries of the universe; understanding and sustaining a biodiverse planet; valuing world cultures; and understanding the American experience.

"The highest priorities in refilling positions," said Smithsonian undersecretary for finance and administration Alison McNally, "will be given to scientific, scholarly, and curatorial positions aligned with the strategic plan; those necessary given legal and audit requirements; and those that bear on the demonstrated safety of visitors, staff, and volunteers."

Trescott, Jacqueline. “Smithsonian Offers Buyouts to 6,000 Workers.” Washington Post 9/30/09.

Primary Subject: Arts and Culture
Secondary Subject(s): Economic Crisis
Location(s): Washington, D.C.

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