Article originally published in SHRM Online on October 23, 2014.

As I previously wrote in another blog article, Common Problems with the Service Contract Act (SCA) Requirements, the requirements under the SCA are difficult to navigate. I have recently received questions on and worked with multiple clients on helping them classify their SCA workers; so here I wanted to go a little deeper on how to properly map your workers to the Wage Determination.

As an HR professional or a senior member of an organization that has conducted a reduction in force (RIF), you are well aware that it is a lengthy, meticulous, and difficult process. So much time and energy is focused on ensuring due diligence, determining what positions may be affected, preparing severance packages, planning for the separation meetings…you get my drift. It’s easy to get so caught up in focusing on the details that affect the employees who will be leaving the organization that appropriate attention isn’t always given to the employees who remain with the organization. Layoff survivors often feel a range of emotions that your organization needs to be prepared for including guilt, anxiety, sadness, stress and anger. The side effects of an organizational restructuring can be physical, emotional and psychological to your employees. So how do you best manage the staff that will remain with your organization after announcing that you’ve just laid off members of their team?

I get asked a lot by my clients to help them plan for the future. As an HR Business Partner at Helios HR, my job is to work with senior management teams to plan for the unexpected. To help them continuously move their human capital forward successfully. Sometimes, these organizations that want to plan for the future just want to mitigate their risk of an employee leaving the organization. So this got me thinking, what is the true difference between succession planning versus replacement planning?

President Obama issued an Executive Order on July 21 amending Executive Order 11246 for Equal Employment Opportunity, making “our government…just a little bit fairer”. Executive Order 11246, signed by President Johnson in 1965, prohibits government contractors doing $10,000 worth of government business on an annual basis from discriminating in employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In addition, the Executive Order requires those contractors to take affirmative action ensuring equal employment is afforded in all aspects of employment (this is why you have an Affirmative Action Program (AAP)).

Whether you are a manager or an HR professional, the following conversation probably sounds familiar to you: