I normally fill you guys in when I get a new job, but I'm tired of getting all excited about it and then losing it and coming on here like a loser to report that I lost yet another job.
But for about a month now, Tommy and I have worked for Siemens, which is a worldwide company based out of Germany. They warehouse and ship parts of all kinds - medical, water, electrical you name it - the one where we work ships electrical parts - and so that's where we are right now.
Once again, it's a temp to perm position. We're not really their employees yet, and we may or may not be - it depends on their need, our performance, that sort of thing. So if they're hiring, and we're doing good, then we're in there. Otherwise, we have a year before we have to find another job, God willing and the creek don't rise. They will keep you a total of 50 weeks before letting you go if they don't hire you. So we're guaranteed almost a year of employment either way you slice it.
At this time they're in a hiring freeze. If the real estate market picks up, then we're golden, because that's when they get busy. Right now we're packing, but once we get our numbers up to par (mine already are) in packing, then we get to learn new things like driving reach trucks and cherry pickers, which translates into big money even if we only stay for a year and then head out somewhere else. Once you have a year on a cherry picker or a reach truck, you're good to go.
So basically our big boss who decided who gets hired is only 25 years old, is a Christian and a huge Petra fan, and really, really likes us a lot. The bosses under him really like us a lot, too - even the guy who is sort of a boss but not really, the guy who shoves the totes down to us - he is really kindhearted and is like a big, black Santa Claus, lol. He always talks to us with a twinkle in his eye and I can tell he admires us for our determination. So far we've already been through a stomach virus each, numerous asthma attacks (Tommy) and a urinary tract infection (me).
There's this other guy they hired, Randy, who can't remember anything they tell him, doesn't do jack diddly squat performance wise, and always smells like beer. If they keep him, then they're keeping us.
My numbers are already at or above quota every day. Now Tommy's just need to get up, but he's making progress toward that goal.
He may have to call off tomorrow, and I had to call off one day already because of the infection (I was in major kidney pain) but they really, honestly don't care. I almost can't believe it. That Randy guy called off halfway through the day, every day of his first week, and he's still there.
Any time they even see you bending over stretching or rubbing your forehead, they're all over you, asking if you're okay and if you want to clock out and go home. Maybe they're trying to save man-hours for temps or something, I don't know.
But it works out for us because with all our health problems........you guys already know how it is.
So pray for us that we can keep this one. They are uncommonly nice!
Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:03 am
