I never knew the meaning of grunt work until I started working as a temporary employee not too long after graduation. Perhaps I would have known what to expect had I watched the movie Clockwatchers beforehand.
For those of you who don’t know the meaning of grunt work, it basically means doing all of the crap that people who get paid twice as much as you don’t feel like doing. I mean seriously, is it that difficult to get up and walk to a fax machine that is closer to your office than it is to my cubicle?
I think not but I digress.
In the temp game, you can look at it as a stepping stone, something to tide you over between jobs and a means to keeping a little change in your pocket. Plus, if you are undecided in regard to your career, temporary work can provide a few options.
I would definitely say temping has shown me what types of jobs I am not suited for, not too mention how to sit and look busy for eight hours straight without actually doing any real work.
The other upside may include the ease of actually landing a job. Staffing agencies already have contracts set up with different companies, and for the most part, if your skills match what the company needs then you will pretty much get the job without having to go on an interview.
More than that, the likelihood of getting fired is a lot less likely if the bosses don’t even know your name!
The DownSide: The number one drawback of temping is the lack of health benefits.
Most temps do not make enough to purchase insurance even if their staffing agency offers it. There is no liability insurance either in most cases.
I had a temp position a few years ago where I was let go because I was in a car accident leaving a temporary assignment. I wasn’t pleased as it was, having to drive further than the amount of miles I previously agreed to, and when all was said and done I was out of a job because I had to take a week or two off to recover.
In the end I was left jobless, with no income and a car that was totaled. All this just so I can make a few measly dollars on a temp assignment! I have also heard rumblings of temps not being screened properly and being placed on assignments they aren’t qualified to fill just to make the quota.
This one lady I worked with didn’t even know how to use a fax machine! How she couldn’t decipher that the little picture on the loading tray meant "face up" or the fact that it even said, "Face Up," is beyond me.
The main thing that weighs on most temps’ minds is whether or not the position will become permanent. There is nothing more distressing than realizing with all of the hard work and time spent on an assignment; some lasting years, they don’t hire you for that position or worse, they hire someone else and expect you to train them.
Although there are more pros and cons of temporary work than I have mentioned, these are a few issues that are always present in the world of temporary staffing. Even with all of its drawbacks, temping does provide a way of life for a lot of people.
We advocate temping for those of you eager to quit your present job, but too impatient to plan an exit strategy. Money from temping can tide you over until you land that dream job!
As always, keep Hardly Working!
-The Gurus
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