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I was on a temporary assignment with a company, I didn't really like the job very much...the actual work was okay, but the corporate culture sucked, and I wasn't happy there. I had been looking for other jobs for some time now, but with no success.
I got the call this morning that I needn't report in, the company was ending my assignment. When I asked why, the only thing I was told was a very generic "it just isn't working out." Nothing more, nothing less.
A bunch of other people got let go yesterday...and a whole slew of new temps just got in the door yesterday, and so I suspect it was just my turn to go through the revolving door this company has in place.
The way this place works is, they keep you a temp forever, they never hire anyone..or hardly ever, anyway. This way, they do not have to pay things like raises, paid holidays, paid sick days, vacations, 401k's...you know, the things an employee of my caliber and skills comes to expect from a job. I believe they installed the revolving door so that the natives wouldn't get restless and demand these sorts of things.
Anyway, they never train you on new stuff...they just hand you something you've never seen or done before...and a little booklet, and say "train yourself." Then they act all insulted, or like it's an imposition if you have a question. and they count your mistakes against you...and three mistakes, however long it takes you to make them, be it 2 days, two months, or 2 years...and you are out the door.
No amount of good, over any length of time, undoes any of the mistakes. So you could be super-employee...but, three mistakes and it's "you made three mistakes, you bad girl, you..." and you're out the door. So this is the corporate culture I was dealing with.
Well, I took off Monday this week because of a bad stomach-ache...it was in fact so bad I could not even sit up. But I went into work again on Tuesday. And Monday was not a paid sick day. I, of course, called the agency, and, per the company's request, also called them, four hours before my scheduled start time.
On Tuesday, they gave me one of those projects I mentioned before. There were a number of problems with the spreadsheet, and I didn't discover them until I was into the work, and I discovered them one at a time, and had to get up from my desk to ask the guy who'd given me the project how I ought to handle this-and-such situation. every time, it was justified.
Nevertheless, the big boss had said to me, "Angela, aren't you out of your desk a lot tonight?" I explained I had questions, and needed to resolve them through the project manager. Later, when I had this boss in private, I asked him, quote, "Sir, no disrespect, but, is my production, or quality of work in some way lacking that my being briefly out of my seat would be a concern?" He said no, just that my being out of my seat was "distracting." I didn't bother to point out to him the many other things including goofing-off employees that were far more disctracting...I merely said I was sorry, but that I had questions, and that, since I was in an isolated section of the building, no one ever saw my flag when I raised it. (we had little flags at our desks we would raise if we had problems.)
I then asked him, in light of that, how would he like me to handle questions. Again, not in any disrespectful manner, just as in...okay, look, I want to work with you...so how would you like me to handle situation X in the future? He told me I should ask my Senior Rep, sitting in my area (one way to incur her wrath was to ask her ANYTHING) and if she could not answer, then have HER get up to get the project manager FOR me. Well, I can imagine what woulda happened first time I ever asked her to do THAT...
Anyway, I never did get a chance to find out. Because I went in to work yesterday, had a fairly productive day, no questions, no nothing...I even ended up staying late last night to finish up on a project (it was only ten minutes, but I still stayed late.)
And now, this morning, I get the phone call that my assignment had ended, and the only given reason is "it just wasn't working out." Nothing specific...which tells me I didn't do something that was all THAT bad...after all, if I had, you'd think they would say something.
All's I wish to ascertain, of course, is...does this poinson my name with that particular temp agency? And does this, in any way, impede my ability to collect unemployment? I can't imagine, based on what I was told, that the answer to either question was "yes" and I cannot think of anything I did that would justify a termination. Apparently, neither can they.
As I say, I suspect it was simply my turn to go the other way through the revolving door this company has set up to keep the natives from getting restless.
Well, anyway...bottom line is, I'm not really too disappointed about the job, because I know what I'm worth, and I believe I am worth better than that place, anyway. The only thing that sucks is now I have a lack of income. But, since I live at home, this is less problematic than it could be. anyway, the agency said they would try and get some more detail from the company for me...and in the meantime, would I mind making a 20-mile drive down to their office to turn in my company badge? I told them I would return the badge within the next couple days, when I was in the area, and they said that would be fine.
C'est la vie! Que sera sera...
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