I haz a job now! (well, sort of)

[NorthernZel]

Speaking of: (thought of posting this in General Work Chat but I might as well keep it in the same thread)

At the moment I'm temping for a co-worker who has called in long-term sick. From the time she called in till I got hired went about two and a half weeks where none of her tasks were done.

Thing is, Boss and Uberboss would like me to have completed all tasks related to the month of July by the end of this week so the books can be closed and a 2Q report can be made.

So I have to do three weeks of backlog in one week. THREE. FRIGGING. WEEKS. And I'm not fully trained, heck I've only been there for three days!

So (if Uberboss allows it) I'm looking forward to an approx. 50-60 hours week opposed to the normal 37 hours week if I must be able to get through all the backlog, and THEN hope that the workflow allows me to take some paid time off or get off the clock early later on (labor board rules, the overtime could come back and bite my ass if I end up claiming unemployment benefit later on).

So, um, wish me luck, folks?


(EDIT: Turns out it won't be that extreme, I'm looking at a max 45-50 hour week. And Uberboss isn't demanding a deadline, he'd just be glad if I met that "end of the week goal", if I have to work on it next Monday or Tuesday as well the company will still survive. Overall they are very happy with my efforts and my mad easy-learning skillz. I thought of posting an SC story I encountered today (and handled brilliantly, if you ask me), but since I as a temp undergo an extra strict NDA I didn't want to take the risk.)

[NorthernZel]

Bumping this up once again with a huge update:

Company are SO impressed with my work that they are seriously considering paying an extra fee to the temp agency so I'm released from the temp contract and instead permanently hired...

... effective from as of SEPTEMBER 1st!!! WHOOP-WHOOP!

Still, some details are still to get set, but facts are this:

- My wages will follow my normal cash flow (bills have to be paid at the beginning of the month, temp agency only pays every 15th of the month, therefore I had to ask the bank for an overdraft every time I was temping, company will issue paychecks at the end of the month instead)

- I will now have free access to our fitness room out of working hours

- I will now have access to our remote server = possibility of working from home when necessary

- Possibility of having a health insurance as a supplement to the NHS (in order to secure faster treatment if I need to have something done)

- and last, but not least... a pay rise. I dunno precisely HOW much a rise I will get since I have to negotiate with HR first, but it's definately gonna be more than the temp agency paid me, and a HELLUVA lot more than I got in unemployment benefit for the last couple of years.

Please excuse me as I return to bouncing off the walls, while hysterically cheering...

[Kristev]

I'm chuffed for you.

[Mikkel]

Congratulations.

[tropicsgoddess]

Awesome!!! Congrats on the gig!

[NorthernZel]

Kinda of a sad update:

As previously mentioned, I managed to catch up on a backlog in a short time.

Problem is, while I managed that, a NEW backlog built up - and due to various circumstances, I wasn't able to catch THAT backlog fast enough.

This made Head Management unhappy, so they ordered Supervisor to hurry the hell up - my permanent job offer is suspended and Supervisor has to assess whether I'm eligible for a permanent hire if I meet some specífic goals at the end of the month. If I don't meet these goals, the permanent hire offer is annulled and I continue as a temp until they find a new guy/girl to replace me. Until then, I continue on temp conditions (=shitty pay).

So right now I'm weighing my options:

I COULD buckle up and make an extra effort ( I had a 50h hours week last week, one day I clocked out after an 14-hours shift, at 1 AM - with only one break) and hope that things will change.

But on the other hand I've been told that there has been a lot of pressure on folks for the last couple of years, stress-related sickleaves have been filed pretty often, and even the co-workers who have been there for a long time are asking questions about how often people either quit or are let go. A lot of alarm bells ringing, if you ask me.

So, what for little me to do?

Pros: I earn money, home work opportunity, chance of permanent hire, nice co-workers.
Cons: High stress level, uncertainty (while I'm temping I'm on as-will terms), bad cash flow as long as i'm on my temp contract. From what I've experienced it's a BAD thing to take more than one week's vacation at a time.

On top of that, I can handle overtime as long as Management allows it - but the temp company only pays the fixed hour rate, no extra pay for overtime and/or working into late hours.

Mr Zel suggested that I should buckle up and get eligible for permanent hire and THEN look for another job, but I think that would be an inconsiderate thing to do, I'd rather ask to be transferred to another administrative position at the same place.

So, what do you good folks in here recommend? Should I jump ship at once while I have the chance, or should I stick?

[NorthernZel]

So, I chose to buckle up, and things are looking a bit better.

I managed to work out a method in balancing the books that eliminates the problems I had with closing last month's records.
I have also suggested some things to Management about billing that should make it easier for me to file payments in the future. Depends on how the payees are going to handle it, though.

This Monday, I had a backlog of 3 weeks waiting for me. Today, I have 1½ weeks left. Supervisor was VERY impressed with me, so I'm pretty anxious to know what Management will order her to do about me next week.

[csquared]

My take... When times are tight, you do what you have to do to get the pay check.

On the other hand, do not be surprised if they are teasing you with the permanent position.

Good luck!

[NorthernZel]

Quoth csquared

My take... When times are tight, you do what you have to do to get the pay check.

On the other hand, do not be surprised if they are teasing you with the permanent position.

Good luck!

Thanks for the support. My latest bank statement has SERIOUSLY urged me to keep on truckin', eventually look for another job while I'm still employed.

About the "teasing"... I'm not sure about that. Supervisor has told me I can take as much overtime as I want as long as Head Management's requirements are met, I don't think they'd allow that if they were just teasing (remember, I'm hired through a temp agency so even though MY wages are low, Management pays a HUGE fee to the temp agency).

[NorthernZel]

Another update.

I did very well with the last backlog, still Supe is keeping me in "let's see" mode.

However, during our last talk wherein I expressed that I REALLY wanted some definitive answers re: my employment, this discussion happened:

Supe: Well, we have to assess what we pay opposed to what we get - say, how much does temp agency pay you?
Me: Well, they pay me <shitty pay>.
Supe: Oh really? I though they paid you <INSANELY LOWER SHITTIER PAY>

Thats when I went
Really, they expected me to work my ass off (with average 6 overtime hours every week, and several 11-12 hour shifts including one single 20-hour shift) for a wage that is similar to my unemployment benefit (which is not as high as Oprah believes it to be)?!!

So, I've reached the end of my rope. I don't wanna keep working overtime feeling like I have a noose around my neck.
If I'm not offered a permanent hire by the end of the week, I'll request them to find someone else - however, I'll be polite enough to stay there and eventually train the new guy/girl on part-time so I can flex out my overtime and don't get shafted re: unemployment benefit.

Luckily for the company, we have a AWESOME guy who right now is temping in our Accounts Payable dept. and is doing a great job. If he can get convinced to shift into a permanent position within Accounts Receivable, I think I can leave the place knowing that everybody - including me, Supe, Head Management, New Temp and Billing - will be happy about it.