business initiatives and funding, and the impact on the surrounding community are just a few factors that impact the decision to cut positions.” the individual’s feelings. PoudrierAaronson’s recommendation is “to take as much of the emotion and personalization out of the picture; however, validating and acknowledging the pain and turmoil a layoff causes would be important as well. I also think it would be important to be prepared with concrete resources and answers to projected questions an employee might need.” Hobgood agrees and reminds all that “part of what is difficult about this conversation is that there is no way to turn this into good news; even a student worker who is having their hours even partially cut will receive that information with some level of anxiety.” Cost-cutting measures related to programs or even to office supplies can often obviate the need to reduce staff. And if that savings can save even one person’s job, then it’s worth it. As Mills says, “Cutting personnel and people needs to be a last ditch effort. People are the lifeline for any office.” tS Sandi Hall is the assistant director of the Allen Student Help Center at Ohio University in Athens. be Human but remain proFessional Once the difficult decision is made, it’s important to be objective, and personal feelings cannot get in the way. As Hobgood advises, “Remind yourself that this is a decision about money – not about people. We must go above and beyond to ensure that we do not inadvertently allow our personal feelings about staff who are (or aren’t) our favorite to color what needs to be a clear decision based on fact and protocol.” If a staff member does need to be laid off, focus the conversation on the financial cause – not the person – while also acknowledging registration is open for the Webinar “Assessing Your Department: From Preliminary Discussions to the Final Report.” log on February 18 at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern) for this 90 minute presentation to learn how to increase efficiencies on your campus. Registration is $185 for ACUHO-I members. Archived versions are also available on CD-ROM. More details at www.acuho-i.org.http://www.acuho-i.org http://www.bergmeyer.com http://www.bergmeyer.com