Can't anybody here play this game?

Things are getting kind of funky in Temp Town. First, they cut back on the cleaning staff hours, leading to a major buildup of garbage. The solution to that, apparently, was to double the number of trash cans in the kitchen area so they wouldn't be overflowing with trash. When that didn't help -- food garbage starts to stink, after all, even if the trash can isn't overflowing -- management at the agency (reluctantly, I think) arranged for more frequent emptying of the trash cans.

Next, one of the long-time project managers from the law firm was mysteriously called back to work at the firm's offices, no explanation given to the lowly temps. Probably had nothing to do with the fact that he was upset about the garbage situation and made his feelings known to the agency. Totally unrelated, I'm sure. In any event, while I have no deep personal connection with any of the folks from the law firm -- on this or any other project -- the manager who was called to Jesus was very efficient at assigning new batches for review before folks were done with the batch they were working on. This helps keep work flowing, obviously. Why they don't use the function of the review platform we are using that allows reviewers to check out a new batch themselves (like every other project I've ever been on) is beyond me, but this guy monitored progress and made sure you always had a batch assignment. Now we have to send an email requesting a new batch.

Naturally, it can take a while for someone to respond and give you a new batch, but today we got a new twist on that. Over the weekend, the temp agency replaced its email servers and moved us to a new email platform. They didn't bother to tell anyone, meaning we were all using the old platform, trying to email request for new batches and getting no joy. The emails would appear to have been sent, but no one was getting them. No one bothered to tell us this would happen. This is the kind of thing that practically screams for an announcement to let people know that they didn't have email, despite what they might think. They probably sent the announcement via email and, of course, the system couldn't deliver it.

It was well after lunch before some IT type came along and told us we were on a new email platform and gave us instructions on how to access it. Absolutely batshit. This is rapidly degenerating into the worst-managed project I've ever been on. And that's saying something.

Maybe working conditions were a little too good for temps, now that you mention it

Temps rarely are heard talking about how great their working conditions are. And this post won't counter that. Normally, we are jammed into spaces far more cramped than the casual observer might think is conducive to high-functioning intellectual activity, which is, at least nominally, that in which we are supposed to be engaged. (My mother was an English teacher. Sue me. Your bitching about proper grammatical construction is something up with which I will not put. So fuck you.)

In any event, this project isn't that bad as far as crowding goes. Sure, we're in fairly tight quarters, and we don't have the luxury of privacy (I no longer tolerate the complaints of people who work in "cube farms," where a mere divider separates workers from each other. I shank them. We have no dividers, and considerably less space than each person has in a cube farm.) So we have no-more-than-usual crowding (and less than many projects I have worked), no rats, a newly built-out space with some really inspiring art work, and a semi-decent kitchen/dining area. What's not to like?

Apparently, somebody in management decided that all of those factors combined made us just a little too pampered, so they cut the hours of the cleaning staff. "Staff" might be a strong word here -- near as I can tell it was one woman. I am told that she used to work 50 hours a week, but that was cut to 40. Then, starting this week, her 40 hours were cut to 20. I don't know if it had anything to do with the looming mandates under Obamacare, but I do know that cutting her hours in half means that at the end of the day, trash cans in the kitchen area are overflowing onto the floor. I'm not seeing an upside to this.

I don't know who made this decision. I don't know why that person made this decision. I just am not surprised by the decision. Livable working conditions for temps never has been a big concern for the folks who run temp agencies. Many of the people who work at temp agencies are much more sympathetic. Agency heads? Not so much.