This entry was going to be the list of questions posted on my wife's journal recently. It'll have to wait, as I've just been told I have yet another thing to do before the end of the day. Which is in half an hour.

What this entry will be, however, is possibly the start of a chronicle describing the slow downturn and, as far as I can see it, eventual painful demise of my place of employment. For an organization dedicated to helping people and saving lives (I work in a hospital), we've sure done our share of messing some up.

We're in yet another round of layoffs. Our Home Health department was just told they were being closed down but, due to some bizarre administrative issues, it looks like some of them will be retaining paychecks (in lieu of severance) and benefits through the beginning of 2005. Yup, half a year of free benefits, not to mention decent paychecks coming in for that time. Other departments are being scrutinized for closing, including one that I know of, but can't really include mention of here in case word gets out prematurely.

The census at the hospital (how many inpatients we have) has been staggeringly low, the lowest I've seen it in the five years since I've been here. We have 403 beds at the Hospital that can be filled at any given time. Over the past month, there have been days that we've been over HALF EMPTY, with a census below 200.

As a result, "support" departments (like Human Resources, Payroll, Materials Management, etc) have been told that starting pretty much immediately, they will be scaled back, either through personnel cuts or working days. Our accounting department will be open three days a week, for example, instead of the five days that the already harried employees up there usually have to barely get all their work done. Human resources, where I work, is no exception, as we've all been *ahem* "asked" to help out by taking days off over the next few months. The level they're asking us to do this at, though, would essentially exhaust my hard-earned vacation time by early October.

The stress level here is through the roof. Employees are walking the halls like they've just been told they've lost a family member, and I probably wouldn't be far off if I said that morale here is in the pits. Everyone is wondering who will be the next to go, regardless of the fact that our latest New Employee Orientation was at a record high of 30+ new employees. We're hiring new people here, as we're laying off others. Brilliant.

I just found out that someone here I consider a close friend will be laid off on Friday. And by here, I mean in my department (I was told because I handle the termination of employement issues, like final checks and the like). This person does not know yet, and I'm torn between handling this professionally and just telling them so they have a heads-up, even though I know that's unprofessional. Much as it bothers me to do it, I may have to just keep my mouth shut on this... things are insane enough, without me losing my job as well for doing something that could have easily been avoided. What bugs me more is that there are people in HR who are so much more deserving of a boot in the ass than this person.

This place is virtually crippled financially, losing millions of dollars a month. The employees are demoralized beyong comprehension, and some of the actions the administration is taking to "help" are questionable at best... and I think you can figure out what the "at worst" scenario is. The unions are going to have a field day with this.

More as it happens which, sadly, it undoubtedly will.