The wonderful world of work

(Images sourced from Google Images - timessquarenyc.org)

Last week I was reunited with the wonderful world of work. You could say I hadn’t actually stopped working what with all the essays, assignments and projects that had to be completed during my first year of university but between the parties, sleeping in til noon and the fact that I spent money rather than earnt it, my working world was shaken slightly when I re-entered the 7am rises and seven and a half hour days of grafting.

Well I say grafting...my day consists of sitting in a rather comfortable, spinning desk chair, sorting through piles of folders, pulling out important legal documents and photo-copying them. This is carried out with chats every half an hour and biscuit breaks every two. Oh and the occasional data inputting on spreadsheets. Sounding cushty??

Yes it is and my colleagues there are lovely but the work consists of the most mundane jobs I have ever had to do. Today, no word of a lie, I spent my seven and a half hours PHOTO-COPYING!! Ohh my days there are so exciting but I am eternally grateful for finally landing a job and earning money! So much so that I would happily (well probably with some moaning along the way) stay on the project until it was time to head back to Southampton but unfortunately their need for me is coming to an abrupt end in two weeks time (fingers crossed it will be longer!).

Now I know I may sound like a hypochondriac but I swear it is bad for you to undertake such frequent use of a photocopier in such close proximities. I know what you’re thinking, this is my way of trying to escape the boring job but seriously I get headaches from standing next to the ultra-violet light all day and if we have to use it with the lid open, I can’t help but put my hand on it to keep the document flat and look at the bright light as it scans across (stupid I know!), both of which I’m sure are very dangerous! Or am I just being irrational?

Anyway, aside from my new found skill of photocopying, which of course is going straight to the top of my CV skill list (not!), I have learnt a lot in the short time I have been there. Not in terms of office skills as I would have thought but of the bogus sham that we call work. Through a fellow member of the project team, a 47-year old administrator who was made redundant this year, my eyes have been opened to the hypocrisy of employers and selfish, only-in-it-for-themselves attitude of supposed colleagues.

It must just be the naivety within me but these are a few of my unknown, new-found discoveries:

•If you temp for a company for any period of time, the majority of people would perform at their best thinking that ‘temp’ will soon become ‘permanent’ but as soon as the person you are covering for returns to work, you are out on your heels before you can say ‘Are there any other positions available?’ and you are merely a name in the sand

•The redundancy process – this one was a shocker – the company will know way in advance of making cuts that they will need are in trouble and will therefore plan their actions to their own advantage. The employee becomes a measly number on a wage slip and regardless of how long you have worked there for or however valued a member you are, you’re expected to accept your meagre redundancy fee and walk away silently
without a fuss

•Where losses could be avoided through higher earners taking a small pay-cut, companies choose to get rid of staff as opposed to do everything in their power to keep them

•When a company need a position filling, sometimes they hold interviews under a false pretence knowing full well that the successful candidate is an existing employee but interviews are held just for show

•Everything is to suit the employer. No matter how many ‘benefits’ your job boasts, in this economic climate, no-one is safe except the big executives

It all sounds very cynical I know and without meeting her you would think my colleague is an outrageous pessimist but she has taught me some working world knowledge that I can share with you and take with me when I attempt to enter the 9 to 5 society for good.

It is quite ironic - the government want to decrease unemployment so they cut down on public sector jobs (nice one Cameron!) but then every big name company that is responsible for employing thousands of Britons and paying many many mortgages, well they couldn’t care less about their staff when it comes to the almighty crunch.

So what hope do we have as future employees when we will all be job-hunting in the midst of an economic recovery? Perhaps my photo copying talents will come in handy after all...

Jobless Wonderer

(Images sourced from Google Images - images.zaazu.com, free-extras.com,sisterfriends-together.org and tvauscast.com)

March – Went to Manpower (a job agency) to recruit and hopefully earn myself a full-time job for the summer. Was told by my consultant “Yes we should be able to get you work for sure. Most of our positions are for thirteen week periods so your time frame is perfect for that. That’s excellent that you’re a journalism student too as I can put you down for being able to do audio, which we have a demand for. We haven’t had any other students in yet either who are looking for work so when something comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”

Needless to say I left that day feeling very positive and pleased with myself for getting ahead of the game. Of course I didn’t leave it all up to them and made sure I joined the likes of Reed, Hays, The Dove Partnership, Jobsite and Total Jobs as well. So off I went back to uni for my last semester feeling pleased and hopeful that a job would arise for me from June until September.

It is now June 25th, five days away from July and I have been waiting by the phone for three weeks now.

To say I’m fed up, restless, miserable, disappointed, stressed and bored is an understatement!! This is not what I had in mind for my second to last ‘free’ summer EVER whereby working is not one hundred percent necessary and I have the freedom to do what I want, when I want before the hum drum days arrive of 9-5 with only four weeks holiday per annum. I know my unfortunate lack of work allows for such freedoms and many reading this may think ‘What are you moaning for, I would kill for a month off work!’ But all my friends are working or holidaying, I am on my own all day and there’s only so much Jeremy Kyle and so many dvds a girl can watch before actually going insane!


I have been quite good actually and prepared myself little lists each day as to what I need to do...neurotic and unnecessarily organised I know but I have to set myself things to do so that I actually feel like I’ve accomplished something. Bumming around on the sofa is not my idea of fun, not after a week of it anyway (and it’s certainly not good for my figure as with tv time comes the boredom cravings – chocolate, biscuits, sandwiches, cakes tut tut tut). So each day I have done some exercise, however mild it’s still exercise! I have been writing and trying to find new ways of broadcasting my blog so I receive more hits. (If you have any ideas on that please let me know as whatever I’m doing is making no difference whatsoever!) I’m also reading, house-working, sunbathing when the weather permits and watching my dvd series.


But seriously I have had enough now! I am at the end of my tether with being in the house and unemployed and I am at the end of my very-patient-so-far tether with bloody job agencies!!! I grant them that none have actually promised me a job or given a guarantee as they obviously can’t do that but saying, “as soon as we have something I’ll give you a call”, rather than “sorry love, I don’t think anything will be coming up in the near future” would be so much more helpful and less hopeful. Yes it would be frustrating and disappointing to hear but at least it would eliminate the crazy jumping out of my seat and sliding on the rug routine in a bid to race up the stairs every time my phone rings!

I also hate being posed with the questions ‘What have you been up to?’, ‘How has your day been?’, ‘What are you doing with yourself at the moment?’ Look people I sit all day everyday at home, on my feeling-sorry-for-myself bum, doing nothing because I’ve exhausted everything that I can possibly do already!! So stop asking! And also, ‘Have you heard anything from the agencies?’ Believe me if I had you’d hear about it. You could be in tim-buc-too and you’d hear about it because I’d be singing from the rooftops at the end of my boredom imprisonment.

It’s not through lack of trying though. I’ve applied for umpteen jobs. One that was very very hopeful, I was asking whether or not they had parking it was that promising...only to hear two weeks later (it was supposed to be two days but these job agencies are quite good at stringing you along) that they wanted someone for six months!! So I ask why an earth put me forward for the damn position and get my hopes up so high I could touch the clouds if you were aware of how long the position was for??!! I think a reshuffle is in need as I could do some of these ‘job consultant’s’ jobs better than them!


Not only has the fun-factor been eradicated from my summer so far (and I really wanted to make the most of this one as well), money is playing on my mind. The expense of my accommodation next year leaves me with next to nothing for food so I need some savings to fall back on, I need to save for my New York trip, I wanted to save for a holiday and of course I thought I might actually get to treat myself and go shopping this summer as the student lifestyle kind of robs you of that necessary luxury. But no, none of those are looking anywhere near accomplishable.

I know boo hoo me but I just need to rant and vent about the incompetence of job agencies and how misleading they can be.

You watch, my moaning has probably jinxed me even more now or I’ll get a call soon and then feel really bad!

So I hope you’re happy Mr.Manpower and Mrs.Hays. You have made the start of my summer utter pants. With the false hope you send out and the demoralisation you bring, no wonder so many people are choosing to stay unemployed!!

Ps. But I’m not one of them so please find me a job asap!!!!!