[Prudence]

In today's episode of workplace tomfoolery:

We've implemented a new strategy of requiring people to prepare annual budgets and to justify requests for additional funds. Shocking, I know. Why this didn't exist before I have no idea. I had suggested something like this a year ago, but TPTB didn't care until their newly-recruited trusted minion suggested it. Now it's the best idea EVAH! But I digress....

I created a whole Excel workbook for each unit. It has detailed expenditure pages for FY 07 (for an idea of past spending trends), FY 08 (going on now - to show whether current funds are keeping pace with expenditures), and FY09 (for further projections and to justify requests for additional FY09 funds). These worksheets all link to a summary page in fun Easter egg colors so someone like me can see at a glance a past/present/future view, plus a column for this year's ask.

And (this is important) to show whether there is, overall, a trend toward surplus or deficit from year to year.

One of our subunits has a HUGE surplus from previous years because their project was slow to get started. I mean almost 1M. Their project leader will argue every half-cent, pawn expenses off on other budgets, and in general is hoarding funds because ZOMG WHAT IF THEY RUN OUT?!?!?!?!!?! And I realize that funding is serious business, but we have units that are underfunded RIGHT NOW, and their surplus will carry them through both this biennium and the next.

So, what did they do with my spreadsheet? Deleted all my 07/08/09 data and instead put in 09/10/11 data so that it would not show their 900K+ carryover budget and instead demonstrate that ZOMG! they'll be underfunded in 2011! They need new permanent funds now!

As if I was just going to look at their "ask" column and not notice this change.

Now I have to fix it. Grrrr.

(And we won't even discuss the other unit which gave some employees temporary salary increases until they hire a new assistant director. We only okayed the increases after they demonstrated how their budget could cover the additional outlay. Now, of course, they've submitted a budget request for the TSIs, because they don't have the money for them. That actually got my normally mild-mannered boss steaming mad and nearly shouting "bullsh1t" over and over while she considered their request.)