A World of Budget Cuts

I don't really know what the political world has to say about today's economy.  At this time of the year, we're often too busy to watch the news. 

I do know quite a bit about how the economy and last year's contract negotiation impact our business.

In a world where not everyone can find a good job and banks are less likely to lend money, we too are faced with budget cuts again this year.  We've been making budget cuts fairly continuously for the last twelve years.

As a result, for the first time since I've worked here, we've been forced to make tough staffing cuts for budget reasons.  It's not the first time we've eliminated staff positions; in the past we've reduced staff by opting not to replace people leaving for other employment and we've never been afraid to eliminate substandard employees.  This year, we've cut people and we've cut hours.

Still, with a successful start to the school year, the cuts we've made have not impacted our committment to safety and to customer service.

Though there are fewer people, there is not less work to do.  Everyone still needs to get home everyday in safe vehicles.  Each of our staff members has had to assume more daily work in order to continue to serve our community well.

This year, we're trying something new.  Each person working in the office has a series of tent signs she will use to indicate availability.

When "Open For Questions" the staff member is fully available to assist with route questions, trip directions, copier use, and other general questions.  When the sign reads "Please Do Not Disturb" the staff member is working on a task requiring greater than average concentration, and we ask that you really "Do Not Disturb" the staff member (even a quick "hello" can sometimes result in distraction).  When the staff member leaves her desk, she will incidate on the "Back At _____" what time she will be back.

Each staff member has been assigned specific hours during which she must be "Open for Questions."  Jami's "Open" time is in the early morning and midday.  Rachel's "Open" time is after 2 pm.  Shelley's "Open" time varies based on which week is a payroll week. 

We ask that our remaining staff honor the new sign requests.  We will modifiy the "Open" hours as needed.