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The Sycamore Manifestos Random Acts of Senseless Coherence |
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#1 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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Disconsolation
For the first time in some time, the SAS has dropped from green to blue.
I got fired today. Rather, the company I worked for decided to end my assignment. The reasons for this are not very clear. I had been working for them for 3 months. The work was easy, I had been told I was doing a great job (by the company and my agency), and the pay was alright. I had missed several days due to emergency situations with Rho's health, but the company and agency had been very understanding. 4 weeks ago, a strange e-mail was sent to my agency by the new HR rep at the company. It stated that I was procrastinating on my work, and that this was my final warning. It was odd because: 1) I had not been told by anyone at the company that there was a concern about my work, nor had anyone at the agency been contacted before then. 2) I had not been corrected previously regarding any aspect of my work or myself. 3) Being the detail freak that I am, I constantly kept stats on my work production, though this was not required. I did it just to keep track...to see where I stood. It had not changed. 4) The week before, I had applied for a permanent position with the company (with my agency's blessing). The company decided not to review my application. I was not personally told about it...only my agency. No reason had been given. I could understand not getting a response if I were Joe Blow on the street. But I was an employee (albeit, a temp), and I was not happy with the fact that I was not personally informed of the decision, nor given a reason why. I made my point, and never let it affect my work. So, for the past 4 weeks, I have been walking on eggshells. Writing down every single time I took a piss, a cigarette break, the work I did, etc. My stats remained consistent. I was uncomfortable with trying to talk to the powers that be at my job, for fear that they would fire me on the spot. I was also very angry at the fact that my boss did not come to me personally with any concerns. Perhaps that is the way they handle temps (b/c this company employs a ton of them), but I found it rather unprofessional. If you have a problem with someone's work, you address it directly with them. It's that simple. After 2 weeks, I was stressed out to no end. I asked my agency to find a new assignment for me, and the agency's branch manager decided to try and get to the bottom of what their issue was with me. So, my branch manager inquired into the situation, asking what exactly the problem was. The company's response: Everything was now fine. No more concern. Wait! What the FUCK?! My stats are the same as they were before the e-mail incident. And now, there's no problem? What the fuck is YOUR problem?! This week has been a bit rough, as I've been felled by a series of maladies. I kept working for fear that if I called off, I would be canned. This morning, I woke up with a killer migraine. I don't get them often, but when I do, they are debilitating. I could barely open my eyes, and would have been absolutely useless at work. So, I decided to go ahead and call off. This afternoon, I woke up feeling better, but had a nagging feeling that there would be a message on the vmail with bad news. Sure enough...my agency called to check on me to see how I was feeling. Then of course, the bad news: The company was ending my assignment. And the agency has no other assignments at the moment. I've never been fired before, which is probably why I feel so angry right now. I did a damned good job while I was there, and felt that I went the extra mile for them. I was congenial, and tried to be respectful of those around me. I tried to only call off when absolutely necessary...and this was the first time that I had actually called off regarding my own health. I don't just call off when I have a sniffle. I know I'm a good worker. I know that I have a lot of solid experience to offer the right employer. I know that I'm a good employee...a morale booster when things are tough. All I can really do is reflect on things I might have done wrong at this assignment and apply them to the next one. And so I'll end this post with a message for Amerihealth (the company for whom I worked): Your owner (Independence Blue Cross) is a fucking cheapskate that would rather hire temps than hire permanent people. You know, you would probably save money hiring perms in the long run. But (to borrow from tw), you're a bunch of useless fuckface MBA's that care more about your bottom line than the people that keep your sorry ass afloat. I guess I should have expected this, given that I've already worked for another insurance company, but you insurance bastards never cease to amaze me. You fucking let work back up to the point where it swamps your employees, and I would imagine this causes problems for those insured by you as well. Now on Monday, you're going to have to bring in another temp, train them all over again, and they probably won't do as good of a job as me. You might even pay them less to do the work I did. Sure, the work is relatively easy...but it's an important job that you folks don't seem to take seriously. So, fuck you and the horse you rode in on. I'll see you in hell. Thank you. ![]() |
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#2 |
still says videotape
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,813
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Sounds to me like someone was inventing a plausable reason not to hire you that doesn't reflect any knowlege of Rho's health issues, which they'd be responsible for if you guys got hitched... I always hated being bullshitted at work.
Buenos Suerte Bro.... you always land on your feet.
__________________
If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis |
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#3 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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Thanks man.
My main suspicion for not being hired is poor thinking on IBX's part. They might think they're saving money on temps. At the time I put the application in, I had only been a temp for 2 months. The policy with my agency is that you cannot be a perm employee for a company until 6 months have passed since your first day temping there. Well...you CAN become an employee, but if it is before the 6 months is up, the company can pay a separation fee to the agency. Another alternative is that you continue to work for the agency at your new rate of pay until the 6 months is up. As I figure it, the separation fee would have been around $6600. Given that I'm low maintenance on the insurance tip, and you figure in intangibles like employee happiness, not having to train someone new, and what not, I feel that I would have been well worth that separation fee. Not to mention, the $6600 is what I would have been paid in the first 3 months of this year anyway. What's worse, the temps can't work overtime. Only the perms can work OT. My thinking is if you actually hired some of the temps, you wouldn't have to pay out that OT, and it would balance out. Maybe their current way of doing things makes sense to them, and there's no doubt that I'm a disgruntled employee. But just from my background in running a business, keeping all these temps is a huge money and time waster. |
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#4 |
in the Hour of Scampering
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia)
Posts: 4,060
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The usual reason for over-temping in an insurance company is that they're (1) paid out of a different budget account, and (2)don't appear in the headcount.
Can we assume that IBX starts a new FY on June 1? I used to run a department of techs at an insurance company...
__________________
"Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..." |
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#5 | |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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Quote:
They post their earnings for the calendar year, so who knows? |
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#6 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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I've been at my new assignment for 2 weeks now...and I already hate it.
My boss has a shitty attitude...she doesn't seem to like temps. (To which I say...awww! Poor fuckin' baby!) On Friday, I was told that all the loan cancellations I did on Thursday were incorrect...thankfully, I only did seven that day. (These are incredibly important, and an error is a huge fuck-up.) Although the ones I did were different than what I normally do, I told her that I verified the proper procedure with another employee (to whom I essentially report) and was told that I was doing them correctly. And she acted like she didn't believe me. Then, the person I report to (who happens to be a temp) tried to deny this, saying that she thought I was doing something else. I then said, "Look, I'm not above admitting when I'm wrong, but you were right there with me when I did that example, I told you exactly what I was doing step by step, and you said it was fine." This person later tried to pass it off as, "Oh, I didn't know you weren't trained on borrower paid loan cancellations." Give me a fucking break! When I go into a temp situation, I look at it like this: You need me. You are backed up on work for whatever reason, and had to call a temp agency for help. Therefore, I am as important as your regular employees. From me, you will get good quality work, performed in a reasonable amount of time, with no trouble out of me. It's that simple. I called my current agency, and told them I wanted out. They said they had nothing available at the moment, and asked me to stay there for the moment. I agreed, but quickly called another agency to make myself available. So, whoever calls me with a new assignment first, that's where I'll go. Leaving a temp assignment is a hell of a lot easier than a permanent job...one of the good benefits of temping. Though it would be nice, a 2-week notice is not generally required. If I call Stivers on Monday, and say that I'm leaving at the end of the week, that's that. Stivers may be a bit miffed, but if I ever needed another assignment, they probably wouldn't hold it against me. Especially since I've already told them the situation at my current assignment. Keeping in contact with your temp agency is crucial, IMO. Technically, they are your employer, so it's important to keep them up to date on your assignment. I did this every Friday when I worked for Careers, letting them know that things were going good or bad, and bringing up any concerns I had. This makes me incredibly sad...and to be honest, I am ashamed of myself. It makes me feel like I am a problem employee. I find myself thinking, "Okay, what am I doing wrong here?" Am I too impatient? Do I take things too personally? Is my attitude wrong? Did I not give it "enough" of a chance? Okay, so let's look at the situation here. My attitude has been good: I work diligently, ask for more work when I run out, ask questions frequently, look professional, talk professionally, don't socialize too much. The work I got Thursday was different than what I normally do, although I was familiar with it. I checked with the person I report to, told her what I was doing, brought her over to my desk, and went through one step-by-step. She said what I did was correct. Okay then, so I did the next 6 the same (as they were the same as the first). If I screw up on these, it causes a ton of problems, so I wanted to make sure I was doing them right. That fuckup alone could have ended my assignment. When I went towards my boss's desk (the one with the attitude) a short time later for more work, I could overhear her on the other side of the wall, complaining about it, stressing that they had to be done correctly. Not to mention, she earlier inferred that I was not telling the truth. Well, I figure if these are so damned important, then why do you have temps doing the work? In any case, I kept to myself the rest of Friday, and tried very hard not to let it bother me or to show how pissed I was. But it was rather embarrassing to me...and it will probably have them double-checking my work all the time now. I'll try to keep positive when I head back in tomorrow morning...and keep my fingers crossed for something better to come along. |
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#7 | |
in the Hour of Scampering
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia)
Posts: 4,060
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Damn, I'm sorry to hear it isn't working out. But even in hard economic times like these, there's no reason to continue working for assholes if you don't have to. Don't feel guilty, don't get mad. Get even...and improve your own situttion.
OK...nitpicking time: Quote:
When someone conveys an idea without actually stating it explicitly, that's implication; what they say implies a connected idea that they *didn't* say directly. What makes these two words so easily confused is that deliberate implication relies on inferrence in the listener--especially when a speaker uses implication to level a charge that they can't actually prove; by only *implying* wrong doing they can deny having actually accused someone of wrongdoing; they're left with the ability to claim the accusation is a result of the listener's inference rather that the speaker's implication. ("Oh, I didn't say that you lied, she must have assumed it.") Yukky business; if you've an accusation to level, do so, and present your evidence, rather than simply engaging in unsupportable slander and then weasling when you're called out on it. Anyhow, my point is that inferring and implying aren't at all the same thing; one can only infer from what they know or have heard, whereas a liar can imply any damn thing they want to. So it's an important distinction.
__________________
"Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..." |
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#8 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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My bad...it was incredibly early this morning when I posted that.
![]() Allow me to clarify: Although it may have been unintentional, I believe that she was insinuating that I was lying. It went like this: boss: "You didn't process the cancellations properly." syc: "Well, (insert idiot employee name here) went over one with me, and she said I did it correctly. boss: "Well, (insert idiot employee name here) must not have gone over it with you." *indignation at boss* Ummm...hello! What the fuck did I just say? Idiot savant employee went over one with me when I did it. Now, she's telling me that said person didn't go over it with me? My boss was nowhere around, so how the hell would she know? Because I cannot tell whether she was just making a comment or implying something, it would be unwise for me to make an accusation of lying. It really only factored in my own personal decision to split. I told my agency that we kept running out of work (true), that I could not see myself staying at this place long term (not at the money I make now), and that my boss did not seem to like temps (with various pieces of evidence I could use to support my suspicion)...all under the umbrella of "this is not a good fit." It's a shame, b/c the work I do is relatively easy for the pay, and I do like working in Center City. To reference my "Slothfulness" thread though, I need to quickly "find my way" back to something stable, permanent, and meaningful. |
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#9 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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I do the same thing for a number of reasons. I tend to talk slowly (because I take great care to choose my words), yet by the time I speak them, my mind is already off to something else. Which means I sometimes copulate a word with another one that I'm thinking of at the time.
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#10 |
Person who doesn't update the user title
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 12,486
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Scorecard for this week:
Monday: While working on another project, Sycamore discovers that he again is doing something incorrectly. Light bulb goes on over boss's head--temp giving Syc work had indeed been giving bad directions. Syc refuses to ask temp he reports to any more questions unless absolutely no one else is around. point to Sycamore Tuesday: Syc asks boss question about work he has done previously. Boss says, "You shouldn't be doing that." Syc says, "I've done it several times in the past couple of weeks." Boss says, "(insert idiot employee name here) should have known better. She's only been here a year now." point to Sycamore Wednesday: Syc has hard time entering loan sales and transfers. Boss tells him one thing, her assistants tell him something else. Boss leaves early that day. Syc thinks about not going back on Thursday. point to the man Thursday: Syc is given work by (insert idiot employee name here), with instructions to cancel the loans. After looking at the fax cover sheet, Syc suspects otherwise and takes work to boss's assistant. Sure enough, Syc is right...they were status checks. If he had processed them as cancellations, it could have caused a massive problem for 70 or so customers. Syc suspects that (insert idiot employee name here) may have tried to set him up. point to Sycamore Friday: Syc plows through 21 pages of loan cancellations and loan number changes. They suck ass, but Syc is able to complete them by the end of the day. Meanwhile, he is on the phone with his old agency, and they offer the possibility of a new assignment. Syc laughs when told the company only wants to pay $9 per hour to work in Horsham...inside, Syc is crushed. Draw For the week: Sycamore 3, the man 1, one draw. Word around the campfire this week is that the company may have to let us go at the end of this week, and that they want to be done with all temps by the end of August. So long as I can control my temper and use common sense (to prevent myself from quitting), my hope is for 4 more weeks. By the end of July, I will have made over $2400, and would be eligible for unemployment from Stivers. (I believe the cut-off is $2350.) That, or I just want to find a better temp opportunity. Meanwhile, I continue to seek out the perfect permanent opportunity. Last edited by elSicomoro; 06-30-2002 at 02:41 AM. |
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