A number of Government departments have recently signalled they will be making the necessary staff cuts in line with the Government's reduced spending. Without doubt some services will be effected. It never hurts to review your staffing levels, even annually, but in the past we have seen that shedding Government staff often results in moving the salary content, albeit now much reduced, from one Government department to another, namely WINZ. Surely that can't be what the Government intends.
Knowing your department will be undergoing staff cuts means staff are now marking time waiting to see if they are the ones no longer required.
This can be a harrowing experience, waiting for the axe to fall. And as you sit there wading through all the work that needs attention staff must think "you must be joking, who's going to pick up this lot when I'm gone"? Good question. Because the work that person is doing right now just doesn't stop. Someone has to complete it and ensures it gets actioned.
From experience I know that staff working in departments identified as needing to cut numbers, want to know as soon as possible if it's them.
There is the usual fall off in productivity while they wait. So the waiting time should be as short as possible. If the axe is going to fall, then make it quick. People need to be able to plan for the future and uncertainly doesn't help them do this.