Vile temp agencies

by SpunkyChick 22 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  SpunkyChick

  I am so angry. I was just screwed over by another temp agency (Randstad)! I was offered a two month temp assignment as a surgery scheduler at a hospital, almost an hour from my home in downtown Denver. I told the agency this was very far and the pay wouldn't cover my gas expenses for traveling that far. She begged me to take it; so we resolved that I'd go for a few weeks until she found a replacement, as she was desperate to send someone out ASAP. She calls back the next day to give me directions and tell me I'd just be there for this week and there'd be free parking in a parking garage across the street from the hospital.

  The day I'm to start, I fight traffic for 1hr. 15min and finally arrive to discover the parking garage required a permit. I illegally park, and go into my check in point. I ask the lady where the free parking is located, and she laughs at me. She tells me I can park in HR's spot behind the building today, but I was on my own for the rest of the week. She tells me of a lot that requires a monthly permit starting at $80, or I could drive around the surrounding neighborhoods looking for street parking. I explain that I cannot afford to pay to work down here!

  I return to my car, call my temp agency and explain this mess. She tells me to go park in HR's spot and she'll come down and take care of the parking permit. She also rubs it in that the girl I'm to train takes the bus everyday, so they don't need to worry about her parking situation. (well good for her!) So, I park my car, and go back in. Just as I get all the way up, the lady tells me there's been communication, but they won't need my services at all. I was so pissed off!

  I worked for another temp agency (Volt) awhile back that sent me out to a company....and when I showed up, no one could find my contact. Then I get a call on my cell from the agency telling me they'd already filled the position and I need to leave immediately! I asked when he was planning on telling me this?!?! Also with Office Team (the most vile and evil) sent me out on numerous, horrible assignments where I learn I was the 6th girl to be sent in for this dreadful position (no wonder people were quitting...you'd think these agencies would take a hint!). These companies were so horrible, they didn't have computers and wanted you to hand log everything! I think the worst was being shoved a huge wad of receipts (500) I was to match with inventory on the computer screen. Any inventory that I didn't have a receipt for, I'd need to contact the companies (Holiday Inn's, IHOP, Denny's) and ask for a receipt for this guy who stayed there 2 years ago!!!! I have more stories and could go on and on....

  I am frustrated. This job market sucks. *thinking about doing tequila shots even though I've given up carbs* Does anyone else have horror temp stories? Misery loves company!
• 

  worldlygirl

  (((((((((((((SpunkyChick))))))))))))))))

  My sister used to work FOR a temp agency and they screwed her over royally. I'm sure they are not all the same, but I thought, geez, if they will treat their own employees this way, imagine what they do for their placements. Hang in there, girl!

  *thinking about doing tequila shots even though I've given up carbs*

  I hope tequila doesn't have carbs or I'm seriously in trouble with my Atkins plan.....
• 

  Nosferatu

  I worked for a temp agency for a few months. What I hated was when they'd call me up and beg me to go immediately to a job. What really sucked is that I couldn't make any plans to do anything in case they called (unless I had a stretch of work that lasted for more than a day)

  The worst job I was given was sorting and stapling papers in a room all by myself for a week. The second was dusting furniture at the Bay. I cleaned this incredibly stupid table that consisted of a huge piece of glass sitting on a rock. I cleaned the top of it. The supervisor there told me to clean the other side. Aaaah! Now, this piece of glass is huge, heavy, and if I should put it down to hard on the rock, it's going to shatter! I was very lucky (and sweaty), and I didn't break it.

  The plus is that I met a lot of people from this job, and got a few great references. Other than that, it sucked.

  I loved the tests I was given before I got hired. Simple math tests, watching videos, putting nuts on bolts, etc.
• 

  SpunkyChick

  My sister used to work FOR a temp agency and they screwed her over royally.

  Worldly Girl - I am sorry to hear...I also had a friend work at one. She said they are so stressful and blatantly lie about the positions they send people out to!

  I'm sure they are not all the same,

  Oh, at this point, I think they are all evil. If anyone wants to see the face of Satan, it's a temp agency or JLo.

  I hope tequila doesn't have carbs or I'm seriously in trouble with my Atkins plan.....

  Hehehe...oh well...here u go *pours one for me too*
• 

  SpunkyChick

  The worst job I was given was sorting and stapling papers in a room all by myself for a week.

  Nos - I can relate! I worked for a mortgage company and that's all I did. I think the data entry jobs and being a file clerk tie as awful, boring, mindless shit. I've also stuffed envelopes for days at a time and been a receptionist where the phone rang three times, in the course of a day.
• 

  Nosferatu

  I think the most fun job I had was doing the strands of Xmas lights at the bay. Me and one other guy had the job of plugging in the strand, seeing which lights were burned out, and putting new ones in. We were supposed to put the bad bulbs into a box. Yeah right. We SMASHED them into the box. There was broken glass everywhere! Of course, after we were done, we cleaned up all the broken glass.

  Another one that had it's benefits was working at Christie Brown, you know, the cracker and cookie company? Everyone there was snacking on the job. I ate a whole box of those chocolate coated marshmallow puffs (but it came back as diarrhea that night when I was playing a show LOL!) After I was done my term there, they sent me home with a care package of all kinds of good stuff! Unfortunately, my parents ate most of it.

  One thing I hated is that it was called "Kelly Services" We were referred to as "Kelly guys". I quit basically because I got tired of the short notice jobs. I went out and got myself something full time that I could plan around.
• 

  xenawarrior

  Oh, at this point, I think they are all evil. If anyone wants to see the face of Satan, it's a temp agency or JLo

  (((Spunky))) I'm sorry that you and others have had a rough time dealing with the staffing industry.

  I run a staffing service (temp agency) and I've been in the industry for nearly 21 years. One of the things I have learned over the years in talking to our employees who are also registered or have worked with other services is that with some, they were treated very poorly. At ours, we pride ourselves on treating the employee very well and communication is a high priority. We make sure that we have things taken care of for our employees such as parking downtown when it's difficult to find a spot. It's ridiculous not to treat employees well for simple humanistic reasons but also- without good employees you have no service to offer customers !! It gives us all a bad name-as is evidence here.

  You may want to look into some of the locally owned, independent services. In meeting with staff members from independents all over the county over the years, through our association, I've found that they tend to treat their employees much better and have a much better service overall.

  I can tell you that the stories I've read here would never happen at our service. It would be shooting ourselves in the foot and just plain stupid!!!!

  I'm sorry that you have had to deal with this kind of crap but please remember they aren't "all" the same. But I can completely understand why you may feel that way right now. Here you go- hope this helps a bit for now:
• 

  SpunkyChick

  Awww thanks Xena! You knew just what I wanted!!

  You may want to look into some of the locally owned, independent services.

  I thought that Jobstore Staffing and Real Estate Personnel were local, but all they kept offering me were jobs extremely far away from my home. Real Estate Personnel even offered me a job in Boulder, Colorado! (that's over an hours drive away from where I'm at).

  I can tell you that the stories I've read here would never happen at our service. It would be shooting ourselves in the foot and just plain stupid!!!!

  You sound like a nice professional agency! I wish the agencies here would realize that!
• 

  SheilaM

  Spunky: I'm sorry they were so thoughtless. I did do temp work for a few years but my agency was pretty nice. They sound like they suck
• 

  xenawarrior

  but all they kept offering me were jobs extremely far away from my home. Real Estate Personnel even offered me a job in Boulder, Colorado! (that's over an hours drive away from where I'm at).

  Did you tell them that you were only willing to travel a certain distance from your home for a position? If you did and they still offered you work that far away- they have a severe problem overall- they don't listen!! And that really has nothing to do with them being a staffing service but more that they are extremely mismanaged in general !!

  It is standard procedure for our staffing coordinators to ask applicant what THEIR preferences are with regard to pay, work location and types of jobs offered. This is done in the interview and the information is put on their file in the computer. When we are searching for someone to place on an open order, we look at each person's file and the notations about these preferences are right there in front of us. If the position is in "x" location and that particular applicant has told us they don't want to go out that far, we simply don't call them for that job!! It's just common sense and doesn't waste our time or the applicant's. Same with pay rates. They are asked what they will accept for pay and then asked if they are "firm" at that and that info is put on their file. If the job falls below that and it says "firm" on their file, we go on to the next person!

  This information also helps when talking to customers. We may have a position that initially would have paid $11 per hour but the ideal candidate we have wants $12 per hour. Before calling the candidate, we'll contact the client and tell them about the person and their qualifications and that they'd be a great match for the job but it will mean a higher bill rate for the customer. If we can negotiate that withl the client- we then can offer it to that candidate on what they said they needed for pay and everyone wins !!

  We have had individuals who have called us wondering why we haven't contacted them with work offers. One look at their file may indicate that we haven't called them at all because nothing came in that met what they indicated they needed for pay, hours, location and the like.

  It really seems like you've been registered with some services that simply "don't get it" overall. That is really sad because they could be doing a much better job for their customers AND their employees if they did.

  Another terrible practice I've heard about in the industry that drives me nuts is the service forwarding paperwork on the candidate to the client without discussing it with the temp first. Lots of them do this and to me- it's a real violation of the employee's privacy. What if the employee doesn't want to work for that company ? That client's rep has now seen the private paperwork of the employee for no reason and without their permission.

  I guess I just have different ideas when it comes to all of this but it might also be the reason we are successful. Over the years we have had many employees move on to positions where they are the decision makers about the staffing for their company and they call us with their staffing orders because they remember how they were treated when they were an employee of ours. If all services treated their employees with that thought in mind, things like you have described wouldn't happen at all. Ahhhhh, for the perfect world eh?

  Sorry for the rant. I just get irritated when a few make it it hard for all of us and give us all a bad name.

  Spunky- if you'd like- pm me. I'm a member of an association of independent, locally owned staffing services and I might be able to hook you up with a good one in your area.

  Good luck !!!