Change to Lower Grade

• A change to lower grade may be voluntary (requested by the employee), involuntary (initiated by management), or caused by failure to complete the supervisory or managerial probationary period. A change to lower grade is not considered an adverse action when an employee voluntarily requests it or it is the result of a reduction-in-force (RIF).
• When filling a vacancy, a candidate applying for a change to lower grade is usually considered a non-competitive referral, because he/she already competed for and currently holds a position at a higher grade level than the one being filled. Therefore, competition is not required. However, if the lower graded position has promotion potential above the grade level held by the employee, competition is required and merit promotion rules apply.