2008 Woodie Awards
Balancing the budget : Anticipating lay-offs
Professional staff feel in the dark, prepare for job cuts
Gwen Merrick
Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: News
Cuts are coming.
But the general feeling among USM's professional staff is that 'we're grown-ups, we can take it.' Looking toward July 1, on which date many of them might be losing their jobs in USM's effort to cut nearly $7 million from next year's budget, they're wishing only to be given time to prepare for the worst, rather than be left in the dark.
With another round of job cuts looming over the University of Southern Maine, USM is taking steps to soften the blow for employees, but it seems that what many of them want is communication.
"People can be more forgiving if they trust that their supervisors aren't keeping secrets from them," said one professional staff member, who did not want to be identified for fear of even further jeopardizing her job. "Not knowing what the next step is going to be for survival is the hardest part."
USM's professional staff work in offices across campus. They are salaried employees, whose jobs titles range from administrative assistant to accountant. They earn more than most classified staff, who work for hourly wages, but unlike faculty, they can't earn tenure - which means that, looking at budget cuts in the multi-millions, they anticipate taking the brunt of the cuts.
Interim President Joe Wood has announced the possibility of laying off as many as 30 people by July 1. But according to Dan Rabata, the human resources director of employee benefits, the university is negotiation something new for this round of layoffs.
USM has negotiated a contract with the human resource consulting firm, Drake Inglesi Milardo, Inc. to offer services to some employees who are facing job loss. Employees with at least five years of continuous regular employment at USM and who are working at least half-time are eligible to meet with the outside firm for two months to work on everything from resume building and job searches to in-depth counseling and testing for new career opportunities.
The normal fee for these services provided by Drake Inglesi Milardo, Inc. is $2500, but the lower rate of $1500 was obtained through negotiation and the firm's desire to help the university at this difficult period.
But the general feeling among USM's professional staff is that 'we're grown-ups, we can take it.' Looking toward July 1, on which date many of them might be losing their jobs in USM's effort to cut nearly $7 million from next year's budget, they're wishing only to be given time to prepare for the worst, rather than be left in the dark.
With another round of job cuts looming over the University of Southern Maine, USM is taking steps to soften the blow for employees, but it seems that what many of them want is communication.
"People can be more forgiving if they trust that their supervisors aren't keeping secrets from them," said one professional staff member, who did not want to be identified for fear of even further jeopardizing her job. "Not knowing what the next step is going to be for survival is the hardest part."
USM's professional staff work in offices across campus. They are salaried employees, whose jobs titles range from administrative assistant to accountant. They earn more than most classified staff, who work for hourly wages, but unlike faculty, they can't earn tenure - which means that, looking at budget cuts in the multi-millions, they anticipate taking the brunt of the cuts.
Interim President Joe Wood has announced the possibility of laying off as many as 30 people by July 1. But according to Dan Rabata, the human resources director of employee benefits, the university is negotiation something new for this round of layoffs.
USM has negotiated a contract with the human resource consulting firm, Drake Inglesi Milardo, Inc. to offer services to some employees who are facing job loss. Employees with at least five years of continuous regular employment at USM and who are working at least half-time are eligible to meet with the outside firm for two months to work on everything from resume building and job searches to in-depth counseling and testing for new career opportunities.
The normal fee for these services provided by Drake Inglesi Milardo, Inc. is $2500, but the lower rate of $1500 was obtained through negotiation and the firm's desire to help the university at this difficult period.
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