Temp Hell, day 2

[prosodic]

Today went better than yesterday, but that's mostly because I got to commisserate in my misery with some of my fellow temps. I probably wouldn't have said anything, but my new friend, who was sitting at the work station next to me, sighed hard and said..."I have a masters in Public Administration, so why am I doing this?"

"THANK YOU!" I responded, and from there we started getting to know each other. Turns out that she is registered with the same temp agency and has the same agent that I have.

One of the other temps, someone who thinks that working off and on there for 5 years somehow makes her a supervisor, kept on coming over and giving us crap for the pettiest things. We used the wrong thickness rubberband to hold the batches together. I attached a receipt the wrong way...etc. etc. She could barely speak English and we all had a difficult time understanding her. One time, she tried to get my attention to bitch at me about something, and I didn't come over to her right away because I was in the middle of doing my own work. When I finally came over she said, "You come to me when I call you."

Uhm. Excuse me? Who the hell are you? That's right...you're a temp. Just like me.

It got to a point where it was so ridiculous, the amount of time she was spending bitching at everyone about all this petty crap, that we all started giggling and rolling our eyes at each other whenever she started one of her tantrums.

Good grief woman, I don't get paid enough to give a crap about whether I'm using the right rubberband or whatever.

Anyway, so while I was talking to my fellow AppleOne temp, she started prodding me about how long I have lived here...do I have many friends yet, etc. When we were dismissed at noon, she handed me her business card (she's a freelance events planner) and told me that we should get together for coffee or something sometime. I would like that. For now though, I'll see her at work...however long this lasts. I was told today that it probably won't go until Feb. 1. But since we get off around noon, maybe we can go out for lunch after our shift on Friday or something.

Comments

[katzies.livejournal.com]

Think about the money and all the shiny HD stuff you can buy!

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

I doubt the paychecks I get from this gig will even make my car payment.

[katzies.livejournal.com]

Well, if you don't want it, I take it!!

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

It'll have to do for now...better than nothing, you know. ;)

[onelargecat.livejournal.com]

oh yay! a friend! good for two reasons--always good to make a friend, and FRIEND TO HELP SURVIVE TEMP JOB FROM HELL!

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

Well, there are several of us on the same boat right now...wanting much more professionally than we can find. One of the ladies I'm working with is studying to be a paralegal...I think she's just doing this temp thing while she's still in school. Another one just got hired at a law firm.

So it's nice to know that I'm not alone. I mean, I knew that, but it's nice to actually know people who share my frustrations.

[jerseyfille.livejournal.com]

>>When I finally came over she said, "You come to me when I call you."

WTF?? That's something you say to a dog or an unruly child, not another person. Yes, she's done this work longer but if she really wanted to be respected for this, she'd learn to treat people better.

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

And this is why she has never been hired at this place where we're working. Other temps have been hired and made supervisors, and she's still temping. But she has apparently never asked herself why this is.

[venus-starlet.livejournal.com]

Sounds almost like a sitcom! (Wasn't there one awhile back called Temps?)

Hopefully something more rewarding comes along soon.

[prosodic.livejournal.com]

Well, Boeing sent me an email to tell me that they haven't yet thrown away my resume, so there is hope!