Home  >  Employment  >  Employee Questions & Answers Regarding Layoffs

1. If I am laid off, how do I get my job back?

   Reemployment is a process designed to rehire employees that held permanent status in the class from which they were laid off. Reemployment lists are made up of those people that were laid off in a given class if they had permanent status in that class. There are two kinds of reemployment lists your name will be put on if you are laid off: (1) the Departmental Reemployment List, and (2) the Countywide Reemployment List.

   When there is a vacancy for a position from which someone was laid off, the name(s) on the reemployment list are sent to the department. Reemployment provisions are governed by the County Personnel Ordinance, Labor agreements, and County procedures.

2. Will I return to the same position I had when laid off?

   It is not likely that you will return to the same position you left. The offer of appointment will be for a position in the same class that is vacant at the time you return but may involve different job locations, responsibilities, etc.

3. If I am laid off and then reemployed, do I return at the same vacation accrual rate?

   Yes, if you are hired from the reemployment list, then you return at the same vacation accrual rate.

4. If I am laid off and then re-employed, does the time of unemployment count towards service for an increase in my vacation accrual rate?

   No, the period of unemployment does not count towards service for a vacation accrual rate. Employees need to work the required amount of service hours to get an increase in their vacation accrual rate.

5. Must a department hire me from the Reemployment List?

   On the Departmental Reemployment List, names on the list will be certified only to the department from which you were separated. The department must offer appointment in order of the list. If a person declines an offered appointment, the next person in order shall be offered appointment. An employee is not considered to have declined the appointment unless it is done in writing or unless written notice of the office was transmitted by certified mail to the last known address and the employee failed to accept the appointment in writing within five calendar days after the date of mailing of the notice.

   The County-Wide Reemployment List will only be sent after there are no longer any names on the departmental reemployment list or all persons on that list have declined appointment to a vacancy in the class. The names of three persons will be sent in the order on the list. If more than one vacancy in the class exists, an additional name shall be sent for each vacancy in excess of one. The department will have the discretion to offer the appointment to one of the three. If there are fewer than three names on the County-Wide Reemployment List, a rank or ranks of additional names shall be certified from regular eligible lists so as to provide a total of not less than three persons available for appointment. An employee is not considered to have declined appointment unless he has done so in writing or unless written notice of the offer was transmitted by certified mail to his last known address and he failed to accept the appointment in writing within five calendar days after the notice was mailed.

6. What happens to my sick leave balances if I am laid off and then later re-employed?

   Any person who is re-employed from either a departmental or County-wide re-employment list into a permanent position in County service is entitled to reinstatement of any sick leave balances that had previously accrued as of the effective date of the layoff.

7. How is the order of placement on the reemployment list determined?

   On the Departmental Reemployment List, the order of personnel on each department reemployment list shall be based upon seniority according to the original date of appointment to the class to which the list refers.

   On the County-wide Reemployment List, your name will be merged with names from the departmental reemployment lists of persons who are laid off from the class. Names will be placed in order of seniority according to the original date of appointment to the class to which the list refers.

8. If I am laid off, will my name be removed from the Transfer List?

   Yes, your name will be removed from the transfer list if your layoff results in termination from County employment. However, your name will be placed on the reemployment list.

9. If I accept an offer to transfer in lieu of being laid off from my current class within my department, will I be placed on the reemployment list for that class?

   No, you will not be placed on the reemployment list because you were not laid off.

10. How can I find out my standing on the reemployment list?

    You may request the information by writing to: Sacramento County Employment Services Division Certifications Unit, 700 H street Room 4667, Sacramento, CA 95814. Be sure to give your name, address, social security number, and title of the list(s) from which you would like the information. The information will be mailed to your home address.

11. How long will the reemployment list last?

    Generally, a person’s name will be eligible for certification from both the Departmental and County-wide Reemployment Lists for two years from the effective date of the employee’s layoff. The timeframe may be different based on the labor agreement and statutes applicable to your class.

12. Are temporary, probationary, or limited-term employees placed on reemployment lists?

    No. The exception is 008 & 025; if you are represented by these unions, you may be placed on a reemployment list while you are still on probation. Refer to your labor agreement for specific information.

13. Besides the class that I am being laid off from, if I hold permanent status in other classes, will my name be placed on reemployment lists for those classes as well?

    You can only be placed on a reemployment list for a class you have been laid off from. If you are laid off from multiple classes, then you may be on multiple reemployment lists. If you are laid off from one class then you are only on the reemployment list for that class.

14. How long will it take to be hired back?

    There are numerous factors that influence this; therefore, there is no way of knowing how long it will take. It is possible that you may never be rehired or, conversely, you could be rehired very quickly.

15. If I am on promotional only eligible lists, will my name be removed because I was laid off?

    No.