The mood in The Sacramento Bee's newsroom has been grim this week after its parent, the McClatchy Company, announced another 32 jobs will soon be cut.

Management notified 32 people on Monday that they were facing layoffs unless others agreed to take buyout packages. Dozens of people have since been asked to consider accepting buyouts that amount to two weeks' severance pay for every year worked, up to 40 weeks.

Their responses are due by 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Announcements about the layoffs are expected soon after, Bee Community Affairs Director Pam Dinsmore said.

"We're calling it a job elimination, so it means those jobs are going away," she said.

Newsroom employees are still "reeling" from the news, said features writer Niesha Lofing, Guild unit chair.

"We're really worried," she said. "It's terrible having to see people make these gut-wrenching decisions again and again."

From the Newspaper Guild unit, the Bee plans to lay off 12 people, including two reporters, one artist, one content developer, two copy editors, three page designers, one graphic designer in the advertising department, an outside ad assistant and an ad account manager. A full-time critic job will become part-time.

Jobs will also be cut in circulation, support, finance and building services.

The cutbacks will bring the total number of jobs lost at the paper since 2008 to about 387. The Bee closed its regional newspapers in 2008. In the newsroom, 50 jobs have been cut in the last two years, Dinsmore said.

Bee employees will number 754 after the cuts. There were 177 people working in the newsroom as of Jan. 20.

Some people have already turned in response forms to accept the buyouts, but still have time to change their minds. Others were still evaluating the company's offers Friday. 

A continued reduction in newspaper ads and the size of the paper has concerned employees like Lofing.

One of the worst things about the staff cuts is how helpless employees feel as they watch coworkers leave the paper, she said.

"When you cry on the way to work – not for yourself but because your colleagues are so upset – it's a terrible feeling," Lofing said. "All I can do is write the stories and hope the advertising comes in." 

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.