I wonder how much of life is just getting used to stuff that sucks? I was making a post on the nano board and thought about how distraught I was when I learned that I would not be able to get DSL at our new place. I thought I might not be able to post on nano anymore, and go to a lot of my favorite sites, because our connection was so ungodly slow. But over time I ceased caring, I don't even notice the difference in loading time anymore.
Maybe it's that I like the board and so I am willing to wait a little longer to post on it. Maybe I just have gotten used to my slow connection, I no longer notice that I'm lucky when I get a 56k connection.
I wonder if that will happen with this town. I wonder if that will happen with my job.
When I started, we were all told we would get paid on the fifteenth and the last day of the month. I asked three people and was told this. All the informational materials I was given told me this. I was told this would start as of March 31st. That's today.
So, it's a somewhat chaotic morning but I don't mind. I get ready for work with the joy of knowing it is pay day. This delights me. I get into a work a little bit early for the purpose of collecting my paycheck. Well, it isn't in my inbox so I ask one of the assistant supervisors. She checks on the general supervisor's desk. No paycheck. She explains that said supervisor is in a training and to catch her at five. Well, I know she usually leaves around then, so I decide to send her an email as she'll have email access in the training. A couple of hours pass and I don't get an answer. Finally, around five, I get a terse reply telling me there is no paycheck because I'm part time, and part time people are fifteen days behind full time people. No apology, no little diplomatic niceties to smooth over the bad news, just matter of fact as if I'm inquiring about how to file some paperwork.
I am pissed.
I am beyond pissed, I am absolutely livid.
All I can think of, is how dare nobody tell me this before? How dare they have a different policy for part time people, full well knowing I'm part time, and not bother to disclose this to me? I am on the verge of storming out of there. I call Rob. He sympathizes and gets me to calm down a little. I take a deep breath and talk to Tanya, in the HR department. I tell her what happened, and she gets the "oh fuck that's right" look on her face. She apologizes and empathizes and suggests that I speak with Tammy. So, calmer now, I go speak to Tammy.
Well, Tammy honestly could give a rats ass.
She actually seems irritated and is hardly apologetic at all. Her whole defense is that there are so few part time people that no one remembers. I comment that I am very upset that no one told me and I should have been informed, it's a highly unusual policy. All she can do is flaunt the numbers of how few part time people they are, as if what I'm asking is horribly demanding. I say regardless, I should have been told, policy or no. I am extremely upset that she doesnt even seem sorry. After several minutes she manages a feeble apology, as she rushes me out of the office on the pretense of "I have hungry children waiting for me at home." . Oh gee, I'm sorry was I keeping you from leaving a few minutes earlier? Sorry, that's so much worse than me getting paid fifteen days after I was told I would.
I don't like this. I don't like her attitude like I'm some spoiled child just because I don't want to get fucked by the company. Sure I may only be a part time employee, but believe me I suffer for it in the perks department. And I'm part time because I'm going to school to make something of myself. I'm paying out of pocket to go so I won't spend my life doing one kind of job wishing I could do another kind of job. It's going to require a lot of drive and self sacrifice on my part, and it's something I'm very focused on. So when she gives this attitude like "that's what you get for being part time" I really want to go off.
But I don't. I take a smoke break. I go outside. I rant to one of my co workers. I come back, go back to work and act passive aggressive: I take lots of bathroom breaks, I take an extra long break. I am not happy.
The thing is, it's such a flagrant disrespect. It's such an inconsiderate thing to do, it's total bullshit and it gives a really bad message. What's the message: we'll hire you as part time but don't think that means we treat you with respect, or even give you the same respect we would our part time employees. We'll give you all sorts of propaganda of giving 110 percent, but better be prepared to get fifty percent back in return.
I'm not sure which is worse: the fact that this happened at all and that of three people, none of them could think to inform me of this policy or that my immediate supervisor acted like it was my fault that it happened.
I took a smoke break and talked to the first interesting people I've talked to since I moved here: the building's janitors.
Maybe I am in the wrong line of work.
Tonight, I feel very much like Peter Gibbons from Office Space.