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I’ve seen that sci-fi film, 'They Live'. I know they’re everywhere and all I need to do is put on the special glasses and my eyes shall be opened.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of them. They are a lower form of life, who have no commitment to the company, no talent, and no abilities. Apparently, they are vampires feeding off the business and putting it at risk.
They’re called Temps.
They’re people who don’t have a permanent relationship with the place they work in. Paid by the hour, and a pittance at that. No job security. No holidays. No sick leave. And no future.
Yeah sure, they’re a lower form of life aren’t they? They actually want to live like that, don‘t they? Without security, without sick pay, without any perks, and with someone else taking between 30 and 50% of all they earn, as well as an enormous slice of tax. Of course they fucking don’t.
Temps seem oddly more committed to a company because they know that the relationship isn’t permanent: the company can ditch them at any time. And that means Temps aren’t that bothered about ditching the company for a better deal - the company will do that at the first chance it gets.
Temps are human beings being tossed around the seas of corporate bullshit and corporate selfishness. People who can be picked up and dropped at an hours notice, even if they rarely are. People who stumble from short-term low-paying job to short-term low-paying job to pay the bills without ever knowing if they can pay the bills.
I’ve heard that some people have lodged official complaints about having to work with these ‘expensive’ Temps. The only reason these Temps are so ‘expensive’ is because the business is paying for privilege and convenience of getting someone in quickly that they can also ditch quickly, without having to pay out a months notice, or anything like that.
I’ve heard that some people don’t want them - these grubby, evil Temps - sitting anywhere near them. But this is the odd thing. A Temp looks and acts like everyone else. They’re completely indistinguishable from the ‘real thing’ - although somehow I suspect that the Non-Temps, the permanent members of staff, are sometimes actually considerably less professional in many respects.
Temps work their nuts off because they’ve got to. Because they’re only as good as the last days work. And there might not be another day. Instead of office politics, Temps just get on with the job - because they haven’t got a choice. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Temp complaining about the large number of permanent staff. I don’t think I’ve ever known a temp take nine months off on ‘sick leave’. I certainly not known a temp take a three-hour lunch and fall asleep behind their desk, dribbling.
So whilst never approving of the awful, cost-cutting, abusive situation temps find themselves in, I respect temps far more than slackers who believe in a job for life and making as little effort as they can to get the job done. Because temps put up with far more, and get far less.
So don’t dare diss someone just because they’re a Temp. If you think that a Temp is in some way a lesser person, then that’s what makes you a lesser person. And, as my friend, Bill Hicks said, Case Fucking Closed.
