Working woes

So, we've been short one FTE (full-time employee) since February 2009. The person in that advising position resigned during a U-wide hiring "pause." I was not permitted to re-fill the position, and when the new fiscal year rolled around in July 2009, that position was wiped from the books because it was unfilled. That left me with me, 1 FTE adviser, 1 FTE Office Specialist (receptionist).

In order to support our students during the summer registration period and continuing, we had our Office Specialist  do half-time advising (yes, while still being a full-time receptionist AND not receiving any pay augmentation), and a colleague from CIS (College in the Schools) pick up some additional advising. Then the CIS person left in October 2009. Because the CIS person was the most recent departure, that was the position most likely to be refilled, even though I've been short-staffed longer.

The plan then became to move our Office Specialist into advising, since that's what he should be doing, then hire someone to work 50% time in CIS and 50% time as an office specialist, with a student worker picking up the other 50% time reception. Not ideal, but the only thing people were willing to work for.

Of course, with budgets being the way they are, the 50-50 position has been put on hold. Then, my 1 remaining FTE adviser submitted her resignation, meaning PSEO will consist of 2 FTE + 1 student worker. Surely that's a position I'd be allowed to refill. Guess what? We were given approval to hire 1 FTE adviser----the office specialist! Two people, reorganized, still = 2 people!

Next, and here is the really fun part, my boss's boss said that there is a student worker in a different part of the college who will be graduating, and they are creating a job for her that will be 50% time over there and 50% time PSEO reception. WTF? Without going into specifics, apparently there's someone in the same unit who has time to read novels at work...why are we creating a new position for a former student worker when this other person has time to probably do similar tasks? And why are we creating a new position when I have an old position that still needs to be filled?

I've been given permission to hire a temporary adviser for our busy registration time, but seriously. Yes, I'll take the 50% position, because we really do need a body at our front desk, and an invested, fully hired person is better than a student worker. But I am not happy. And when momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy.