The 13 include six new enterprise companies with about 2,000 Hanford workers. Their work forces are having to adjust to operating in a different, leaner environment than Hanford. And much of the anxiety results from a tighter and tighter federal environmental cleanup budget, which translates to lost jobs - and is outside Fluor's power to control. The whole outlook is unsettling on the work force. He noted employees had little or no input into the new system that went into effect Oct. 1, 1996.
Anxiety still lingers in many forms.
Here are some snapshots of what is happening. Workplace stresses Fewer employees are available to handle tighter work schedules, Brown said. This is compounded by information traveling more slowly up and down the chain of command, she said. This could lead to potentially damaging corner-cutting, she said. This contributes to a shrinking Hanford work force, which increases job-related worries, Brown said.