Never Stop Trying

Try watching a child backstroking in swim class focused on extending her strokes further back and pulling her chin up higher and not start lifting your chin.

Try observing an employee excited about her job, willingly taking what comes her way and always seeking the next challenge and not feel energized.

Try mentoring an employee facing a challenge who you know can overcome it and soar if he would just believe in himself and not give up hope. 

Keep your chin up. Take the good with the bad. And never stop trying.  

Message to My Staff

Let's talk. Budgets continue to be tight. Across the organization, we all are asked to do what we can to reduce costs without jeopardizing quality services. Specifically, leaders are asked to identify ways to reduce their department budgets by 10% and, where possible, to maintain staffing levels from last fiscal year. Supervisors have been deferring recruitment on a some vacant positions and our rapid rate of recruitment has begun to slow.

Within our department, we have done wonders with reducing our advertising budge and have trimmed our costs without jeopardizing our market coverage. In our department, we have the same number of HR staff on board now as we did last FY year. Positions have shifted slightly, but in terms of employees, we have the same number of us coming to work every day.

We do, however, have two vacant HR positions. The first vacancy is a new position and the second is vacant due to an internal department promotion. I deferred selection for the first vacancy in the beginning of the 2nd quarter and today, am going to do the same with the second. 

My decision is less about cost and more about doing what's right our team and for the organization. I am not being directed to defer hiring for any positions and you have to know that if I felt this position was necessary right now, I would not put it on the table.  With the skills, experiences, and expertise of each and every person in this department, I am confident we can function at the current rate of recruitment without filling this vacancy and do so with minimal impact on ourselves and our services. I am also confident this will not jeopardize our ability to get backup to speed quickly when required. 

The position will not be filled at this time, however, there is still the work to be done. I am meeting tomorrow am with those most impacted by this decision to discuss way to redistribute the work across the department. Across the board, we are each going to have to be (more) nimble.

So, what do we need from each other to make this work?

Photo credit iStock Photo