Thoughts of a Working Man

In a sense, that's life in the workplace these days. We seek clarification, and we live with uncertainty. I got some clarification this past week. First, I got a face-to-face interview for a new contract with a different company. I don't want to see like I'm bragging, but I am very good in interviews. I go in prepared, and I know I can do whatever job I'm being interviewed for. So I'm seldom anxious about interviews these days. And yet that let to some uncertainty. I feel certain that I'll be offered a job in this new situation. It will still be contract, and it won't come with a lot of certainty, but it offers me a window to say that for the next four months I'll be employed. Where I am now, I didn't have that certainty beyond the next six weeks. So I sought clarity. Given my situation, I can't walk into the manager's office and ask straight out. The manager has to talk with my representative at the consulting house where I work. So I had to get hold of him, which turned out to be needlessly difficult. I left a message for him, but he chose to call the manager rather than me. (I know this because the manager had him on speaker phone, and the whole office could hear the call. Managers, please consider this when you are using speaker phone and your office door is open.) That annoyed me, as the manager had no idea why I'd called. Well, we finally got that squared away. Once the manager was apprised of the situation, he worked to bring some clarity to it. I'd rather stay where I am, as it is a good work environment for me, I like the people, and I like the work. If I was a 'real' employee, I would assume I'm staying indefinitely, but contractors are not real employees, as we are constantly reminded. We're in the workplace, as one employer I had candidly told me, so that if they have to reduce headcount it can be done without losing any of the 'real' staff. It's not very comforting. Anyway, I'm as secure as I can make myself for the next four to six months.