To be absolutely dreading work tomorrow?

[TheCherryTree8]

I’m absolutely dreading work tomorrow. We have a cost cutting person (a member of the finance team from head office) in from head office doing a full audit of our site to find ways to cut cost, he’s already been at our site for 2 weeks and he’s here for another 3 weeks yet. I don’t understand why he needs to be here for a full 5 weeks to be honest, he’s already struggling to find ways for us to cut cost that aren’t completely ridiculous! They are sending the finance team around all sites to try and cut cost, not just our site. I’m the member of staff at our site though that has to deal with him all day everyday whilst he’s on site. He doesn’t understand how the business runs day to day either, his only focus is how to cut cost, most of the things he is suggesting that we do to cut cost are completely impractical and most of his suggestions would only save small amounts anyway and not a lot! He’s given us 25 suggestions already and only 2 are actually practical for us to put in place day to day and only 1 would actually save the business a significant amount of money!

He might even force us to put the completely impractical recommendations in place yet, it won’t be up to us. The report he is writing will go to head office and they will decide if we have to follow everything in his report, not us.

Some of the suggestions he’s made are also completely ridiculous! And some would only save the business a tiny amount of money already. He’s struggling to come up with many good or practical suggestions because our site is already run quite lean but he’s under pressure as the finance team have been to cut costs at all sites by a certain % which is probably not possible as we are already running quite lean!

I’m absolutely dreading work tomorrow and having to deal with him all day again. I feel like I could cry just thinking about it. He dismisses any suggestion that some of his recommendations are impractical or ridiculous as well, it’s like it’s his way or the highway!

AIBU to be dreading work tomorrow? I’ve cried myself to sleep every night for the past 2 weeks whilst he’s been at our site.

The suggestions might seem ineffective or like they will only save a little but I suppose if this exercise is taking place over all sites then it all adds up?

Anyway, it can help to try and detach yourself and take the emotion out of it. If your job isn’t at risk then yes it’s added pressure, but presumably the job of your site to implement (or evidence why you can’t) the suggestions. If it is seriously impacting you however I would suggest trying to have someone else lead on this. Five weeks is a long time anyway, is there someone more senior you can escalate and explain how it’s affecting you at work to?

I have to be honest here, OP, most people with your reaction to this simply don’t want to do things different. They are reluctant and often call things ‘impossible’ that are simply outside a person or team’s usual ways.

Yes, often quite detailed feedback as well. But most of the time he just dismisses the feedback.

Op on the basis of this thread, I’m wondering whether he is having a very tricky time trying to engage with you about this matter?

Sorry OP, but you do sound a bit of a drama llama - crying yourself to sleep for two weeks because you disagree with someone’s ideas on cutting costs?

Unless there’s more to the story, it’s a huge overreaction! Is there something else going on too?

I hate to say it but when it comes to cost cuttings roles will always be looked at.

you say he’s got all these idea that are ridiculous and save not much money. Lots of small ideas could add up to quite a bit, and could be the thing that stops a more drastic headcount reduction.

Stop giving feedback and just crack on with your job. Let the poor man get on with his.

Honestly OP, you need to start engaging with him and find some costs to cut. Because if you can’t, it will be jobs next. That’s how these things always work. It won’t be a good look for you if he goes back to HO and says you were really obstructive and difficult about necessary changes.

I agree with others, you're completely overreacting if you're crying every night.

You just need to go in, do your job and answer any questions.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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?

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.

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.'