Liberation...for now...I hope

elSicomoro · 01-19-2003, 02:46 AM

So, I'm sitting at work on Thursday evening, when my cell phone rings. It's Nick from Acsys, one of the 5000 staffing agencies with whom I am registered. He tells me he has a possible job opportunity for me, doing straight data entry work for a higher wage than what I was making. It's actually easier for me to get to as well, and will last until the end of March. Yeah, I'm listening...you'll let me know for sure tomorrow? Okay.

I was cautiously optimistic. I've gotten calls from other agencies telling me the same damned thing, only for it to not happen. But I desperately wanted to get out from under Stivers, my current agency. They suck...horribly. And I hated the assignment they sent me to...Radian, a mortgage insurance company.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed working in Center City, right across the street from Independence Mall. And my setup for the past month and a half had been good: I was relocated from the 2nd to the 12th floor, and placed in the Records room. Away from everyone else in the Customer Support department. I didn't have to listen to the other department people carry on, nor did I have to worry about my boss breathing down my neck. I shared the room with Derrick and Miss Ethel, two records employees, and we all enjoyed each other's company.

But this was just a shit assignment from day one...double standards, lack of respect, no feedback, etc. And Stivers was no help in addressing my concerns. The personal attention I had received from my previous agency was nowhere to be found with Stivers.

The assignment I was on was about to end soon--Radian instituted a policy in December, whereby temps could only work for the company a maximum of 35 weeks. My 35th week was the 2nd week of February, though no one was able or willing to give me an exact date.

My goal for the last 2 weeks had been simple--get the fuck out of Radian as quickly as possible, while not compromising on issues such as type of job and pay. I had been presented with opportunities to get out before Thursday, but they were either jobs that were just not for me (call center-type shit) or paid less than what I was making (which is low enough).

Friday was a busy day for me. I had to run errands, then make my way over to Mt. Laurel, NJ to register with yet another agency. As I was strolling out of that interview, Nick calls back.

It's a go...the new assignment is at Pep Boys corporate offices in North Philadelphia. Easy for me to get to--only one bus to take. Color Sycamore happy.

And then the stars continued to align. I had planned to go over to Stivers that afternoon to pick up my paycheck...and now I could go over there and tell them that I wasn't going back to Radian on Monday.

So, I strolled into their spiffy offices at One Penn Center, got my check, then told them that I was ending my assignment immediately. The look on the rep's face was priceless...genuine shock. 4pm on a Friday afternoon, with only an hour to go before the weekend, and here I am telling them that they're up the creek on a rep at Radian for Monday. I was one of their cash cows, and this cow was all out of milk for them without warning. Beautiful.

The rep then tried to put me on a mini-guilt trip. The whole "Well, this is awfully sudden" spiel. And that's when I had to exercise incredible control over myself, for I felt desires to spew a vicious tirade at him and then beat him down like the silly bitch he was.

"Look, I've asked you guys FOUR times in the past SEVEN months to get me another assignment, and you just wouldn't do it. I need the money..." And I cut it off at that, for I felt myself going into a tirade, and just didn't want to go there.

"Okay, no problem" was all the rep could muster. I don't know if he was feeling guilty or just scared...he looked like he was about to shit on himself. Again, beautiful.

When I walked out onto JFK Blvd., I felt an incredible wave of peace come over me. Like I had rid myself of some bad spirits.

I'm not a fan of burning bridges by any means, and don't do such a thing very often. But if you can look at the big picture, and you see that a person or place is highly unlikely to serve any purpose in your life in the future, then light that torch up. Sure, there's risk involved...that's why it's not something to be taken lightly.

And the risk in this situation is very simple: This new assignment could be worse than the last one. It could suck to high hell. But Acsys has a reputation for putting people into decent jobs...Rho has dealt with them since we moved to Philadelphia, and they never sent her to a bad assignment. That gives me some comfort. And if this doesn't work out, well, there are plenty of other agencies to deal with.

In the end, this is only a temporary fix, for true liberation will come only when I find a permanent job. For the moment, I can take a short rest, but I'll be hitting that pavement harder than ever come Monday.

"I will never stop...I will never quit."--Talking Heads

elSicomoro · 01-19-2003, 04:07 PM

Since I'm not overly familiar with the area, I decided to take a drive down to Pep Boys today to scope out the scene.

Their offices sit near the intersection of Allegheny Ave., Hunting Park Ave., Henry Ave., and N. 30th St. It's housed in what looks like an old dilapidated warehouse. However, the area where corporate apparently is looks nice enough, complete with statues of Manny, Moe, and Jack.

And the bus stop is right out in front of the place...how cool is that?

pjshimmer · 01-19-2003, 10:52 PM

Quote:

And the risk in this situation is very simple: This new assignment could be worse than the last one

That's always a scary thought. Like my aunt and all her colleagues HATED the school principle, who is a true asshole in all respects. Now comes the new principle, and this guy is MUCH worse than the asshole, the irony being they now want the asshole back, which nobody thought would ever happen. LOL

warch · 01-20-2003, 12:30 AM

Hey, good luck with the new assignment. Keep your eye on Manny, he's the shifty one with the Coke bottle glasses.

01-19-2003, 02:46 AM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Liberation...for now...I hope So, I'm sitting at work on Thursday evening, when my cell phone rings. It's Nick from Acsys, one of the 5000 staffing agencies with whom I am registered. He tells me he has a possible job opportunity for me, doing straight data entry work for a higher wage than what I was making. It's actually easier for me to get to as well, and will last until the end of March. Yeah, I'm listening...you'll let me know for sure tomorrow? Okay. I was cautiously optimistic. I've gotten calls from other agencies telling me the same damned thing, only for it to not happen. But I desperately wanted to get out from under Stivers, my current agency. They suck...horribly. And I hated the assignment they sent me to...Radian, a mortgage insurance company. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed working in Center City, right across the street from Independence Mall. And my setup for the past month and a half had been good: I was relocated from the 2nd to the 12th floor, and placed in the Records room. Away from everyone else in the Customer Support department. I didn't have to listen to the other department people carry on, nor did I have to worry about my boss breathing down my neck. I shared the room with Derrick and Miss Ethel, two records employees, and we all enjoyed each other's company. But this was just a shit assignment from day one...double standards, lack of respect, no feedback, etc. And Stivers was no help in addressing my concerns. The personal attention I had received from my previous agency was nowhere to be found with Stivers. The assignment I was on was about to end soon--Radian instituted a policy in December, whereby temps could only work for the company a maximum of 35 weeks. My 35th week was the 2nd week of February, though no one was able or willing to give me an exact date. My goal for the last 2 weeks had been simple--get the fuck out of Radian as quickly as possible, while not compromising on issues such as type of job and pay. I had been presented with opportunities to get out before Thursday, but they were either jobs that were just not for me (call center-type shit) or paid less than what I was making (which is low enough). Friday was a busy day for me. I had to run errands, then make my way over to Mt. Laurel, NJ to register with yet another agency. As I was strolling out of that interview, Nick calls back. It's a go...the new assignment is at Pep Boys corporate offices in North Philadelphia. Easy for me to get to--only one bus to take. Color Sycamore happy. And then the stars continued to align. I had planned to go over to Stivers that afternoon to pick up my paycheck...and now I could go over there and tell them that I wasn't going back to Radian on Monday. So, I strolled into their spiffy offices at One Penn Center, got my check, then told them that I was ending my assignment immediately. The look on the rep's face was priceless...genuine shock. 4pm on a Friday afternoon, with only an hour to go before the weekend, and here I am telling them that they're up the creek on a rep at Radian for Monday. I was one of their cash cows, and this cow was all out of milk for them without warning. Beautiful. The rep then tried to put me on a mini-guilt trip. The whole "Well, this is awfully sudden" spiel. And that's when I had to exercise incredible control over myself, for I felt desires to spew a vicious tirade at him and then beat him down like the silly bitch he was. "Look, I've asked you guys FOUR times in the past SEVEN months to get me another assignment, and you just wouldn't do it. I need the money..." And I cut it off at that, for I felt myself going into a tirade, and just didn't want to go there. "Okay, no problem" was all the rep could muster. I don't know if he was feeling guilty or just scared...he looked like he was about to shit on himself. Again, beautiful. When I walked out onto JFK Blvd., I felt an incredible wave of peace come over me. Like I had rid myself of some bad spirits. I'm not a fan of burning bridges by any means, and don't do such a thing very often. But if you can look at the big picture, and you see that a person or place is highly unlikely to serve any purpose in your life in the future, then light that torch up. Sure, there's risk involved...that's why it's not something to be taken lightly. And the risk in this situation is very simple: This new assignment could be worse than the last one. It could suck to high hell. But Acsys has a reputation for putting people into decent jobs...Rho has dealt with them since we moved to Philadelphia, and they never sent her to a bad assignment. That gives me some comfort. And if this doesn't work out, well, there are plenty of other agencies to deal with. In the end, this is only a temporary fix, for true liberation will come only when I find a permanent job. For the moment, I can take a short rest, but I'll be hitting that pavement harder than ever come Monday. "I will never stop...I will never quit."--Talking Heads

01-19-2003, 04:07 PM	#2
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Since I'm not overly familiar with the area, I decided to take a drive down to Pep Boys today to scope out the scene. Their offices sit near the intersection of Allegheny Ave., Hunting Park Ave., Henry Ave., and N. 30th St. It's housed in what looks like an old dilapidated warehouse. However, the area where corporate apparently is looks nice enough, complete with statues of Manny, Moe, and Jack. And the bus stop is right out in front of the place...how cool is that?

01-20-2003, 12:30 AM	#4
warch lurkin old school Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,796	Hey, good luck with the new assignment. Keep your eye on Manny, he's the shifty one with the Coke bottle glasses.

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