Temp Jobs

[fjaz1]

I have been working temp jobs since early summer and every one has some lets call it "odd" situations for me.  At my current job I make good money but I am lucky to have 4 hours worth of work in an 8 hour day. While it is nice to have some down time it starts to get boring so I started cleaning dusty shelves and bins since it looks like they haven't been dusted in years and my boss didn't seem to mind.  The next day however when I had some down time and continued to clean he stopped me and said that if the big wigs see me cleaning it would not be good?  I said you mean you want me just to stand around and do nothing instead of clean and he said to look busy?  Look busy?  How about be busy instead of faking it?  In essence I got talked to for NOT standing around doing nothing?  You figure it out   Of course this boss has 2 temps working for him when he used to have none and there is little work to keep us busy and he still gets overtime on Saturdays   Does anyone else think this guy is not right in the head?  Any thoughts?

[moonangel]

yup thats happened with my relatives before it is like you arent hired to clean  and wierdly enough they have gotten sent home early before dont really get it but i guess it really does happen

[bettey13]

I think he's a little off, if he wants you to just stand around, then what will the "big wigs" say? Seems to me they can save a little money on a cleaning company with you around, but I guess it takes all kinds

[southernhorizons]

Sometimes I have really slow days at work also. The way I look at it, if they don't mind paying me to stand around and do nothing, I don't mind getting a paycheck for doing nothing!

[davidh121]

That does make a slow day. I haven't had this recently, but in the past in my job in the holidays, we use to have quiet days and I thought I would appreciate it more, but instead I feel kind of nervous with nothing to really do and feel awkward around the office just sitting there (I would even take extended restroom breaks not to interact with people). I see others just chatter amongst each other, but I feel I need to be busy while at work. Maybe it's my work ethic.

[nannycoe1]

My daughter is working a temp job right now and everyday they change her hours back and forth from 12 hours to 10 to 8, it is really hard to get any rest when you don't know what shift you are working. But it is a job!

[sdenimandlace1]

They do not want us to clean either, it a union issue were I work, they would rather you do nothing.

[lvstephanie]

It isn't just because of it being a temp. job... I was once at a job where after coming back after 10 minutes from a break (which was what I had always assumed was normal), my manager told me that "management" had already agreed to 2x15-minute breaks each day. And to make it looked good to management, that we were not to work during the entire break-time. I later found out that the 15-minute breaks were stretched out to about 20 minutes on normal days, and a good 1/2-hour or more during slow days. Those were the days that I disliked the most... If I knew it was probably going to be a slow day, I'd make sure I brought a book to read so that I'd have something to do during those extended breaks without my manager coming down on me for "working too much".

[plennis]

What a fool your supervisor was.  The bigwigs would much rather have you doing something that sitting around reading or doing nothing.    The fool was pushing it having 1 temp, but I guess it made him feel like a  bigwig to have 2.  That guy will not go up in the company, what a waste of money to have you just sit to make him look like he has a lot to do.  As a business owner people like that deadbeat make me see red.  It is hard enough to get everything covered without throwing money away.   Every job has some down time, but not every day for hours.   

[fjaz1]

They let me go after Monday but said I might be coming back when it gets busy again.  Well since my boss's perception of busy is 15 UPS packages I guess I will be back   At my last contract job I averaged 75 packages a day with UPS and usually had them done by lunch and did all the truck freight in the afternoon.  This guy would NEVER be able to handle that, unless he had 5 more temps

[lmrbean]

I worked at a job where I often had "down time" - that was when I could go online to check email, and even shop ( great around the holidays). I often just read, though.  I read all the Harry Potter and Twilight series books!

[nickylanena]

I think he's a little off, if he wants you to just stand around, then what will the "big wigs" say? Seems to me they can save a little money on a cleaning company with you around, but I guess it takes all kinds

That's what it sounds like to me.

[Tresbn00]

I have been on projects like that and rationalized that as long as my pay check is not bouncing and I am paid enough money it is not my position to complain about how ineptly one chooses to run their company. It sounds like your current boss may be lacking the experience with which to conduct his job adequately. I have owned three companies with over fifty employees. I was always able to create things for them to do that added to the company's bottom line and increase profitability.  I burned out on the self employed way of life, as well as getting hit by a recession, and have embraced doing projects.  I am still amazed at how poorly companies can be run-blown away at how big corporations will create change for change's sake.