You Hate Your Assignment
It happens. Once in a while you find yourself on the worst assignment imaginable. If you are having a difficult time, call you AM immediately. Never, ever walk off an assignment. It may be that you dislike your coworkers or the boss may be a screaming lunatic or you can't stand what you are doing or whatever.
But remember, you made a commitment to your service. That doesn't mean you have to stick out an unbearable situation, but you do owe it to your service to let it know how you are feeling.
A temp dispatcher from Dallas told us:
I got a frantic call from a temp who said she was going nuts in her assignment. When I picked up the phone, the first thing she said to me was ''Get me out of here" I was surprised because I had never had complaints about this client before, but this temp had a real problem with the woman she sat next to, who was a permanent employee. My temp agreed to finish the day, but wouldn't complete the assignment, which was scheduled for two more days. I tried to entice her with a higher rate, a bonus - anything; but she was adamant. So, I took her off. I had to. She was a temp who had always cooperated and she had credibility with me... She had a legitimate grievance.
So if you can't stand your assignment, tell your service; but use your judgment. Make sure the situation really is intolerable, because you don't want to get a reputation for "crying wolf." Also, services know that some temps try to extort higher rates from them by saying an assignment is awful. Save your SOS for serious situations. One of the best things about temping knows you won't be in a certain job forever-they do end.
Always let your service decide if the problem you have with an assignment is solvable. In some instances, a temp's concern may cause the service to terminate a relationship with a client. Never do anything you know is illegal or something you find unethical, even if the client requests it and says that's why you are there. When in doubt, call your service; it is the services worry, not yours.
The Temp Working Next to You Earns More per Hour
First of all, it probably isn't the smartest thing to discuss your salary with a coworker. However, if you have discovered that you are receiving dissimilar rates for the same job, the most important question is what service is the other temp working for? It could be that your coworker does not work for the same service you do. His or her employer may have decided to pay more because of the temp's seniority with the service or overall skills, or because the difference between what it is paying the temp and charging the client is less than the markup of your own service. First, be sure your coworker temp is telling you the facts. If you are reasonably sure that he or she is, call your AM and explain what you have discovered. The AM will probably want to know which service the other temp works for, how long he or she has been with them, whether this is the temp’s usual rate, and whether the individual has any skills that you don't have, even if those skills are not being utilized in that particular job. Most services will match the rate but will preface it by stating that it is for this assignment only (especially if it is considerably higher). If the service doesn't match the rate, and perhaps even if it does, you may want to investigate what the competing service has to offer. Some temps switch services because the pay rate is the most important part of their decision to work with a particular service. That is something only you can decide.
You have a bigger problem if your higher-paid coworker is from your service. If you are both doing exactly the same work, you are probably working on a project. As a rule, services that send a number of temps to work on a project pay all the temps at the same rate. Again, ask your service to explain the discrepancy. The response should determine whether or not you will choose to continue to work with it. During our interviews with services, we learned that the only reasons services consider paying one person more is when the higher-paid temp has more work experience with the service and/or additional skills, or when the temp has agreed to take the assignment as a favor to the AM. Most services agree that they would rather have their temp ask about the rates than lose the temp without an opportunity to respond. If you don't communicate a problem, it can't be solved.
