Categorization in the Workplace

Written by: W. Parker
Edited by: Julia Wolfe
Joboja Staff Writers

Categorizing exists in the workplace. What is the difference between a temporary employee and a full-time employee? The only difference I see and have experienced is that one worker gets benefits along with their salary and the other just gets paid.

Although they have different classifications, they are both human beings, and both contribute to the bottom line and overall success of the company. In fact, employers have to be careful because they don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to secure a talented employee for the future growth of their company.

As a temporary employee I have seen how management and other employees relate to their temps in comparison to one another. Although a temp has been thrust into a situation and are new on the scene, that doesn’t mean that he or she shouldn’t be treated with dignity and respect.

Several times I’ve been in situations in which I wasn’t referred to by name, and was given more work than was agreed upon by my staffing agency. It feels humiliating and demeaning to be treated like a piece of property by the employers.

I recall a situation when I worked for an insurance firm in their documents department. I sat in an area with their full-time employees, who often looked at me like I was an alien just arrived from planet Zoltar. In the mornings, some management and other employees would not even look in my direction, let alone speak to me. Instead of acting like they were, I took it upon myself to be cordial and say hi.

There was one young lady who sat across from me for who didn’t bother to introduce herself, and extended no help to me for two weeks into my assignment. She held conversations with a gentleman who sat next to me, but didn’t bother to acknowledge my presence. I wanted to quit, but it was my only source of income at the time.

Then one day the man and I were talking about a young woman who had been found brutally murdered. I told him that I had attended college with her. The previously unfriendly young lady interrupted our conversation to say she had gone to high school with her.

I was shocked and appalled that she introduced herself to me that way. I chose not to take it to heart, however, because it was Friday and time to get paid.

On Fridays, all the temporary workers had to print out timesheets and fax them into their respective agencies. For some reason I ran out of time sheets and I didn’t have a computer to print one, so I asked the young lady for one.

When I asked her to print out my time sheet, she said something like, “I work for RIC, and you’re CIR.” She then told me she couldn’t print anything for me since I was a temp.

I immediately felt embarrassed and confused. Since I still wanted to get paid, so I went and had the manager print out my timesheets. After that day, I wanted to crawl into a hole and not come back to work.

To help forget about that situation, I traveled to see a friend who lives on the East Coast. By the time I got back in town, I had another job offer on the table.

Do temps at other companies get treated the same way I was? Yes and no.

The very next week I spoke with a friend who was temping at a law firm in downtown Chicago. He told me as a temp employee in the IT department, he had a chance to talk with the CEO and other leaders in the company.

He talked of the employees being treat well because they can participate in casual dress Fridays and have access to the upper floors—where there are lounges for everyone at the company to socialize and enjoy the same catered foods that the executives eat. My friend is very happy with his current employer and he doesn’t plan to leave anytime soon.

Through my travels and experiences as well as hearing from friends, family members and acquaintances I have found out that each company has a different set of values, customs and a different culture. As both employee and employer we need to figure out who we are first—our own customs, values and cultures—in order to have a win-win situation for both parties.

Sometimes the employer-employee relationship hits rock bottom and isn’t a good fit. But that short-term disappointment may open the door for the opportunity around the corner that is a better fit.

Although both parties are disappointed, there shouldn’t be any display of resentment or disrespect toward each party because it can turn violent. The best thing to do is thank them for their time and walk away.

I believe that although many people believe we are in a recession, there are still opportunities for companies on a global scale to compete and become profitable. In the end, it will all depend on employees and the customers they serve—because they are company’s two most important weapons.