pre_text: 2017 Restructuring Plan On September 15, 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors formally approved a restructuring plan to better align the Company’s global capacity and administrative support infrastructure to further optimize organizational effectiveness. This action includes headcount reductions across the Company’s selling, general and administrative cost base and capacity realignment in higher cost locations (the “2017 Restructuring Plan”). The 2017 Restructuring Plan, totaling $195.0 million in restructuring and other related costs, is complete as of August 31, 2019. The tables below summarize the Company’s liability activity, primarily associated with the 2017 Restructuring Plan (in thousands):
table: Employee Severance and Benefit Costs Lease Costs Asset Write-off Costs Other Related Costs Total
table: Balance as of August 31, 2017 $ 33,580 $1,665 $ — $ 3,143 $38,388
table: Restructuring related charges 16,269 1,596 16,264 2,773 36,902
table: Asset write-off charge and other non-cash activity (127) 525 (16,264) 25 (15,841)
table: Cash payments (31,591) (1,102) — (5,419) (38,112)
table: Balance as of August 31, 2018 18,131 2,684 — 522 21,337
table: Restructuring related charges 16,029 (41) (3,566) 2,071 14,493
table: Asset write-off charge and other non-cash activity (494) — 3,566 (18) 3,054
table: Cash payments (30,504) (663) — (1,786) (32,953)
table: Balance as of August 31, 2019 $3,162 $1,980 $— $789 $5,931
question: Analyse this data from a financial earnings document. What is the change in the balance as of August in Employee Severance and Benefit Costs between 2017 and 2018?