Moving On Up?

Toward the end of the my shift today, I got a text from one of the other proofreaders.

“Julie is here…RUN!!”

“Aw hell”,” I replied.

Julie, as she will be referred to in this post, is the HR manager of the staffing agency which employs your buddy Dave here. She is the go-to person should you have any issues while on the job, any questions regarding pay, etc. She is there for us.

She’s also the person whose presence around the office, especially when unexpected, immediately raises suspicions and causes nervousness as she totes the proverbial ax with her wherever she goes.

Two of my fellow proofreaders saw that ax today, which means were are now down to just a few including myself. While it’s never a good thing to see people being let go, we have to all remember that we’re all in the same boat and it can happen to any of us although some of us are less likely to be a victim.

As I was packing up to go home, Julie approached me and asked if I had a minute.

“It’s nothing bad,” she quipped. “It’s about the two positions we have open.”

In case you missed yesterday’s post, I pretty much have decided that my current position as proofreader will be the last one I ever have. I’m done with it and need to move on to something different; something that will keep me challenged and pay me a reasonable wage – a tall order in today’s economy.

In terms of job burnout, his was perfect timing.

While I told her I could stay a few minutes to discuss the openings, she said she’d call me on Wednesday. And she will – she’s very prompt and thorough. But before I left for the day, she gave me a rundown of the positions.

Neither will be in proofreading but in production instead. One is a long-term temporary position and the other a permanent gig.

So far, either sounds alright IF the pay is acceptable. It’s kind of stupid to let that be a deciding factor with the economy being what it is but I’ve seen what goes on in those other departments and it can be pretty stressful, so I would imagine that adequate compensation would come along with the job.

I’m definitely leaning more toward the permanent position for a few reasons. First, it’s permanent and the company has committed to leasing our current office space for the next four years. It’s guaranteed we will be there for that long.

Second, I will get all of the benefits that being a temporary contract worker doesn’t get me: medical and all supplemental coverage, paid days off, vacations.

The last thing I wanted to do was prolong my stay there, especially with gas prices reaching exorbitant sums and seemingly changing overnight. On the other hand I have the knowledge that they do appreciate my work and they all think I’m a real swell guy so while neither job is in the bag, I may have a good chance at getting one.

As for the two that were let go, it wasn’t a total loss for them. There’s a possibility the will be reassigned to other positions at our other campus down the freeway from where I work.

The life of a contract worker. The adventures never end…