Cliques are becoming an annoying but growing trend in my office bldg. I hate the way grown men and women feel the need to form groups with the sole purpose of excluding others. The way it works here, is that people congregate by workgroup.
The most annoying of them are the customer service cronies. I didnt pay too much attention to them until they began gathering in the employee breakroom area during lunch.
Don't get me wrong. I dont mind people developing friendships in the workplace, but when they begin to make others uncomfortable, then I do have a problem.
Anyway, back to the workplace gathering:
There's only one room on the entire floor where you can get a snack or drink from a vending machine, sit down for a spell and use the microwave. The CS clique has decided to boguard the room for more than an hour every day. They take up all the seats at the table and make it really uncomfortable to stay in the room while my frozen lunch is heating in the microwave.
Why is it uncomfortable? Because every time I walk in, they pause their talking and then turn and stare at me as I take my food out of the freezer. Once I place it in the oven and walk out, they begin talking again. Its really weird and unsettling.
I thought I left highschool behavior behind, but I guess I was wrong. 
Jun 1, 2010
Or Hardly Working: Cliquefest
Sep 15, 2009
Welcome to the Temping Game
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
Aug 14, 2009
Why do people always choose to talk to me when I'm clearly BUSY???
I have a deadline to make, and here comes Shawn yapping about how I missed meeting his wife and son yesterday when they came to visit him at our office.
Girl, get a dog!
Oh, and don't forget Russell. He's the resident office whore, and he's been trying to bed me since I started with the company in 2005. Why did I have to have Orientation with him?
Please comment about what you do to ward off unwanted visitors who have nothing better to do than stop you from getting your work done. I could really use the advice. Obviously 'ignore' doesn't seem to be the best answer.
Jul 12, 2009
Hate going to the office every day? You are not alone... But you can do something about it
If you answered "Yes" to any one of these questions, chances are you hate your job. What's worse, some of you may even hate your career. You may hate your job for a myriad of reasons: bad boss, your personality isn't matched well to the company, low wages...
Whatever your reasons are for hating your job, or career, you are in a huge boat with millions of other people the world over.
Like most people, (myself included) you pursued your career because you knew it would earn you lots of money. And it probably has, but you've found that you just are not happy doing what you do.
What should you do? Quit? Take a sabbatical? go back to school? Start your own business? Switch careers? You've probably already had this conversation with yourself and haven't yet come to a conclusion as to your next steps, so I guess I should get on with this then, huh?
Question of the moment is, "How can I still make a decent living and leave my job?"
First, find your passion. What is it that you love to do? Can you get paid doing it? I'll answer this one for you. Of course you can!!! With the way things are going in technology these days, the sky is absolutely the limit!
After you find your passion, research how you can pursue your dream. Do you need to be re-trained? You may need to take some classes.
Start cutting back on your spending. Take an inventory of unnecessary expenses such as magazine subscriptions, eating out, cable, and things of that nature. Downgrade your car. You can even try selling some of your unwanted items. You're going to have to save up some money to pay your bills once you decide to leave your current position and pursue your own happiness.
I know you didn't think you could make a dramatic transition in your life without some sacrifices, did you?
After you've researched what it takes to be a success in your field of passion, start planning your move. Save up at least three months of your current salary to tide you over.
QUIT!
If you don't quit you'll just keep making excuses for yourself to not make that move! But don't quit without lining something up first.
There are many resources out there regarding this very subject. I've started a search on Amazon. Look what popped up:
http://www.amazon.com/phrase/Hate-My-Job/ref=cap_top_1
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pursuing+your+dream+career
Take a test at Live Career to see which career best suits your personality:
http://www.livecareer.com/
And if you aren't ready to quit, visit this site to let it all out until the time comes when you can!!
Go ahead! It's anonymous.
http://workrant.com/
Life is way too short not to pursue your dreams! With patience, persistence and discipline, you can have the career and job of your dreams!
Good Luck!
