Post 11.

While I was at ADEQ, the department was experiencing waves of layoffs and voluntary retirements much like the public sector is experiencing now. I recall one week that was particularly bad where many of my co-workers appeared paralyzed by the threat of being let go. Many of them stayed in their cubicles all day or just seemed really detached from everything going on in the office. Although there was still work to be done, many of them felt they didn't have to uphold the "business as usual" perception if they were just going to be fired the next day. It was a noticeably different atmosphere that week and I found it hard to console some of the people I had been working with on a daily basis-some of them had been at the department for most of their career and the thought of being laid off was too much to bear.

It was amazing how quickly attitudes changed. This particular division was very close-knit and there was a camaraderie that I sensed from the very beginning. Every day there was something new that brought everyone on the floor together-whether it was just some tasty treats someone baked at home or a lottery pool. Other times someone would bring in a box of vegetables they grew in their garden or someone wanted to share a photo album they had been working on in their free time. All of the personal tensions you often hear about in office cultures seemed to be ameliorated by a general feeling of respect for one another. I was amazed from the first day I arrived at how well everyone got along with each other which is why the layoffs hit us pretty hard. In one day four people were gone from just one side of the room-that was a very sobering moment. As a manager I couldn't imagine how to approach such a sensitive subject and expect my subordinates to continue on "business as usual". Unfortunately, as budgets continue to shrink, this will become the new reality for many public organizations.