As I posted last week, I was able to find a temp job doing data entry work for the time before my real job starts on December 1st. I started working at the temp-client company on Monday. I knew that the job would last beyond what I was available, but I didn't have all of the details.
As it turned out, I was replacing a woman who was preparing to go on maternity leave and she was training me to do her job before she left. That made me feel bad because when I would be leaving, someone else would have to train my replacement, taking them away from their responsibilities. Even so, I followed my directions from the temp agency and didn't say anything about having a real job that would be starting during the time I was contracted to work.
I was learning the job well and everyone was saying how quickly I was picking it all up and how they liked what I was doing. Plus, everybody was really nice and offered help constantly. But I kept feeling bad about being dishonest. A lot of comments were made about how I was really going to be helpful during my time there and how the various holiday parties are a lot of fun. It was one thing to not say anything when no one was mentioning the length of my employment, but it seemed like people were bringing it up all the time.
At the end of the day on Tuesday, I found out that the woman I'd be covering for would be staying longer than expected. She was originally scheduled for a C-section because the baby was in the wrong position, but after her final ultrasound she found out that the baby had moved to the right place so her doctor cancelled the C-section. Her due date isn't until the Monday before Thanksgiving.
After the change of plans, I really had trouble sleeping. On the one hand, I didn't want to keep being dishonest, but on the other hand, I really needed this job. Working the two-and-half weeks before Thanksgiving would really help me be better financially prepared for when my real job starts.
Thursday night, I decided that I needed some advice. I called my folks and talked them through everything and they suggested that I bring it up with my supervisor at the temp agency. She's my boss, so if we could come up with a solution, she should be involved. I was hoping that we'd be able to work something out so that I could still keep the temp job, but I was also prepared to be let go.
The next day, I called my supervisor on my lunch break. I brought her up to speed on how I felt and she told me that I was the best candidate that the client-company had seen and they were really keen to have me for the job. Apparently, they had been conducting interviews for weeks and were about to settle on someone when I came along. That did help me feel better about having taken the job in the first place, but I still was uncomfortable staying under false pretenses. I asked my supervisor to tell the client-company and I agreed to whatever was decided.
At the end of the work day, the department head at the client-company came into the office I was working in and congratulated me on getting a job and told me that she was sorry that I couldn't stay longer and that they had to replace me. I thanked her for providing such a nice work environment and gathered my stuff and left.
I called my supervisor at the temp agency and confirmed if I was let go (I was). She told me that the client-company held no ill-will against me and wanted to have me back for other jobs should I become available. I'm glad that I left such a good impression with them, but it still sucks that I don't have work now. The temp-supervisor agreed to call me if there were any jobs that come up between now and December 1st. She said that with Thanksgiving fast approaching, it's likely that people will call out at the last second and will need to be replaced, so just in case, I'll be dressed and ready to leave around 7:30 am every workday from now until I start my job. Hopefully keeping the routine won't be in vain.
While I'm sad that I lost the temp job, I don't regret my actions. I made a stand based on my beliefs and following the Spirit, so even the job is gone, I've gained more than I lost.
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