To be absolutely dreading work tomorrow?

I’d suggest you do whatever it takes to work with him. Show flexibility and adaptability. Willingness to try new processes.

if they don’t work out, then you’re proved right. If they do, then you’ll be seen as onboard.

if each of those 25 suggestions save £1000, then that might help avoid a cut of 1 member of staff if money is tight. You say they’ve discounted cutting jobs, but that’s never completely off the table.

and I have to say that while I can see this is a draining and stressful experience, crying to the extent that you are could be seen as extreme and a symptom of something unrelated to the work situation.

If he doesn’t really understand your department and his suggestions aren’t realistic- given that he’s got another 3 weeks with you, why don’t you spend a dedicated day with each other where you walk him through your department, explain everything and everyone? Might help him make more appropriate suggestions and you’ll feel better.

You sound a bit dramatic. I get it's stressful and you feel powerless.

Tbh I wish my local council would bring in cost cutters. No idea what they're spending money on but they've cut services by half & barely mow our parks. They're are about to raise our rates (taxes) by 14% as they're drowning. Then add £240 equivalent to our water access charge. We're the most expensive in the country as it is. Sometimes cost cutting is needed. Even if it's painful for the staff.

Sorry, you’re crying and dreading work because one person is making daft suggestions about how to cut costs and nobody’s job is at risk?

Honestly sounds like you need to develop some resilience. This seems mildly irritating at best.

@TheCherryTree8 if the business is sending finance people on-site to multiple sites to look at cost cutting then it's highly probable that they have money issues. You don't spend that sort of money on a whim. If enough money can't be found in this exercise, then they will look to cut jobs. It's the last resort to remain profitable. Instead of looking down on suggestions the site needs to look at what can be done to reduce costs.

This happens everywhere. Sometimes it’s better to work with them and think of how you could do things differently or more effectively. I know your upset but don’t waste your energy crying, use it to think up ways to improve things

Well the easiest way to cut costs is cutting staff so surely it’s better to try and look for alternatives first?

He has a task and he is doing it, it’s not personally aimed at you so the crying about it is dramatic

Let him focus on what he needs to do, give him the feedback as you are doing and what will happen will happen. If you show you are a robust member of the team then that’s all you can do when there is extreme cost cutting going on (my company are going through the same right now and we have already had redundancies and likely to have more)

If he is telling you his suggestions then just say 'Dave, can you stop telling me very little suggestion please. If you want to make suggestions fine, but every single one is a drain on my mental health as I then work out a myriad ways in which this is going to make my life harder and then as I am working out how your last suggestion is going to pan out, you make another one. I'm at the point of crumbling now, so please, just make your notes and go and write your report and then I'll respond to them all in one go at the end. Thanks.'

Presumably he isn’t blaming you personally for the wastage, so there’s no need to be so upset?

You need to be careful that you don’t get a reputation for obstructing any changes as this won’t reflect well on you.

This much crying may indicate illness and by it is definitely stressful.

Otherwise I think this is partly a good thing. They are coming out to offices and at least you have the chance to explain why some of the cuts are impractical. Otherwise they all get imposed. Do you have any suggestions of changes on site or further up that could save money. (Things like ordering systems?

Why? Why is this making you cry? He’s going to make recommendations you disagree with - why does that make you upset?

We're about to go through this too. We have a bean counter coming to look at our asset register and go through our cupboards and desks to see what we're wasting money on.

We're a clinical NHS team so it feels somewhat wasteful to either count pieces of connect 4 or to justify to someone who doesn't understand my role why board games are clinical tools or oversee them identifying how many of my pens the NHS has provided (precisely none) when I could be seeing patients.

My friend in the military was forced to use cheap whiteboard pens for training to save pennies which resulted in badly wiping pens and having to replace all the whiteboards - at significantly higher cost.

It's annoying, and wasteful but it's a process. Quite frankly I pity the poor bloody bean counter.

I bet you’re making his job really difficult by being so obtuse.

What is so ridiculous about his ideas? He’s had 25 so far, that’s a huge amount of money waste cutting so far

I was going to say, give him a chance. I've often worked in teams where I was the outsider, going in to look at processes, control improvements and efficiencies. I would sit with those teams at 6 in the morning or 6 at night, if that's what worked best for them. I would make sure I understood the business, and the process flows before I came to any sort of conclusions, because I was a professional. Initially , people were sceptical of me , by the end they knew I had their back if they really were delivering what was needed. And mostly they were and far beyond. Do you have suggestions of what could be improved? If I felt the team was good but not being listened to, i would weave their proposals into the narrative. I helped to deliver system improvements and staff increases for teams on their knees with overwork. But I was unusual.

Most companies are doing this. Their overheads have increased so much over the last few years that it has to be done. Better them doing this than closing you down and you then essentially not having a job to go to.

When you dread something, the reality is never as bad as what you have built up. Go in tomorrow, smile and be yourself - chatty and polite with the finance guy. Don’t be defensive, they are doing their job. I always find the line ‘I see where you are coming from’ is good - doesn’t mean you agree. Keep it all in perspective. Let us all know tomorrow how it goes.

I’ve honestly been through this every 3-5 years in my career and I just started caring less because I can’t live with that heightened emotional state anymore. I am a person who loves my job and cares too much - my job was a big part of my life. The last cost cutting exercise broke me a bit - crying on my way to work, no colleagues I could trust as everyone was trying to save themselves etc. I now go to work for £ and that is all. I work hard 9-5 but if a deadline is going to be missed I just send an update with a new deadline and stop worrying (I realised this is what everyone else was doing so why was the only one who put work over my family). I work to live. You kind of have to disassociate, but there was a grieving process for the career and passion I once had.

So much will be out of your control. Go in, do your job, stay true to your values, and roll with it. Stressing about what you can’t control is wasted energy.

it sounds like you've got yourself too stressed out over this - do you need to hover over this guy all the time? Or can you wait for his report and just continue to do your job?
I'd let your manager know how you're feeling.

Just let him crack on - if he asks for your feedback on cost cutting, just say I’m not sure how it would work - because you don’t. Smile and nod and don’t take what he is saying so personally. He is just doing his job and there is really no need to cry about something over which you have no
control.

They could start by getting rid of his job, that would save some money

Me too OP

I dont get people who enjoy work I have hated every job I've ever had. I get depressed on a sunday night

Are you sure all of his suggestions are ridiculous? You might be a bit too close to the issue . Certainly don’t tell him all his ideas are ridiculous otherwise he’s just going to see you as a blocker. But I do think you need to work out why you are reacting like this.

None of it is personal, the guy's just doing his job, and that job exists because the organisation is under financial pressure. Try to detach from it emotionally, and then try to help him. Choose your battles. If you say no to everything, he'll think it's the kind of site where no one is prepared to consider change. With the few suggestions that would save money, be positive and embrace them. Suggest implementing them now rather than waiting for the report. It doesn't matter that it's not 'very much' money, it should still be saved where possible. You kind of sound like you think it's ok to waste some money when you say it's not very much so not worth doing.
Once he sees you are positively trying to save money, he's more likely to respect your opinion when you say, No that absolutely wouldn't work.