I'd like to float by people this situation in the workplace we have going on and would welcome your thoughts.

A month ago we got a new manager in our store and I and everyone else took to him right away. He seemed more chatty, open, and is certainly a hard worker who is not afraid to get on with hard work.

We have this situation nationally where the company is looking to make efficiency savings and they are looking at cutting contract hours or maybe redundancies (this despite hiring more workers in August!). This is pending in January which is always a tough month in retail anyway.

Anyhow, yesterday I got to work and got about my usual task for that shift, and part way through another colleague approaches me and asks if I heard about another colleague (I will call him Tom). Tom does the same job as me on different days. Apparently he was told he had to do this task in two and a half hours. The job usually takes 4 hours and that is what I am contracted for on the shift I do. According to this colleague Tom was almost crying. Tom is a sensitive guy so this may be true but it may also be gossip.

Tom was told to do the job an hour and a half quicker however, another colleague verified that. Nobody has said anything to me about doing the job quicker, and I know it is not possible for me to do the job properly in that time. In context as a runner it would be like me being told to do a half marathon in 1:25 instead of my best time of 2:00 - it ain't gonna happen, not uless I miss out bits of the course.

At the moment I have said nothing, but I am not liking the vibes. I feel like this hours cut is hanging over us as it is. I may add this is an international company making massive profits, so not exactly a failing business. They just want to make more!

I like my job, but things like these are really really wearing and I cannot afford a cut in my contract, I am part time as it is.

How would people handle this situation, both outwardly and inwardly (maintaining my mojo in difficult times). I hate that Tom was spoken to like this (he is a nice guy, maybe a little slow but he is older and due to retire). I also feel like it could be me next.