I guess some income is better than none, huh? That's still a tough environment to be in, stew, I'm really sorry!

Sorry to hear that, stewie. :(

:(

:-(

At least you know now after weeks of waiting.
I knew they'd keep you.

Ugh, Stew, I'm sorry to hear that. It's better than a lot of the alternatives, but you've put so much of yourself into that organization. I really hope things work out.

80% is not too bad, BUT does that mean you're now on a "part-time" basis with some loss of benefits? I had that happen to me (during one of the mini-recessions of the 1980s) and I dedicated the other 20% of my workday to job hunting, ending up with two offers that would pay more than the previous job at full-time. One was from a Video Production and Distribution company (in Porn Valley) and the other was from a Financial Firm deeply into the Junk Bond Craze. The only thing that kept me from accepting the Porn Job (IN THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT, you filthy minds) was that the owners still had mob connections from the before-it-was-legal days and there were rumors they were using the legal porn biz to launder money from far-more-illegal enterprises, and there was NO WAY I wanted to get anywhere near that. The Junk Bond Job turned out to be obscene in its own way (including being one-degree-of-separation from Michael Milkin when he went to jail).

But the lesson from that convoluted tale is that many employers automatically prefer applicants who already have a job over those who are unemployed (and I hear it's even more true in this horrendous job market). So I felt I had to thank the employer who cut down my hours for making me a more desirable prospect for other companies - and giving me the time to work on it. I know you don't want to give up on that job, but better to ease yourself before you are eased out...

Oh, Stewriffic! That sounds rough --- though I'm relieved to hear that you're still doing the work that sounds so vital and for which you seem so well suited.

Ooof....sorry to hear this. That's a blow. I share Elsa's responses, though. And also wonder what you can imagine doing with your newfound 20% of time. Consulting? Jobhunting? Personal project? Train-the-trainer?

Yeah, what they said. ((((Stewriffic)))

Aw Stew. I was so happy to see that you didn't get laid off, but I am really sad to hear about that salary cut. Maybe polish up your Spanish skillz and I can throw some translation work your way? Actually, that's not a half bad idea...

Feh. These are rough times.

That sucks. Hugs.

Boo, sorry to hear it. Glad you still have the position, but boo. Hoping things turn around soon.

As others have said, glad you still have a job but sorry they cut your hours.

Yeah, I'm lucky to still have a job, seeing as I cost the organization money without bringing much in. My former boss told me at dinner last night that I was lucky to have a job at all, and that I should start looking. That sounds bitchy, but it's more pragmatic than anything.

I may take some unpaid time instead of cutting my hours down and go up to Alaska and get a seasonal job. Sounds pretty awesome to me.

Oh, and I do get to keep my health insurance thank GAWD.

Yeah that bites. I don't know if you've thought of this so I'll throw it out there. I was offered a similar option a year ago (as many of you know) and took being completely laid off instead. The thing is, your unemployment is based on your current salary, so if you go along for a month at 80% of your former money and then they lay you off anyway, you will only get 80% of the unemployment money you would otherwise have received. So keep that in mind.

I actually still don't regret my decision - even though I have not been able to find anything in my field or a related field as we know and thus am rediscovering the joys of standing up on concrete for 8 hours at a time making less than I made in college. Whooo! Here's to reestablishing working class cred! Yeah! Ow. Um, ow. My knees hurt. Nevertheless, if I had taken the reduced hours & money, I would not have been able to survive the last year when the totally inevitable layoff did come.

And in the annals of crash and burn, here's a newspaper article about another of the museums in the building where I used to work. I cannot believe that the director has not been fired yet - a lot of this disaster was really a direct result of her total overreaching - but it closes another door I was kind of thinking might open for me sometime in the future, damn. Also, it's just generally a shame.

The recession is not over.

Yrrr, stewie! *hugs* I'm glad you're able to keep your benefits.

I also have some feelers out for new jobs, so there's that. Thanks MGL, we'll see what I do. Hang in there with your situation, too. I may take a second job in the meantime.