That doesn’t matter, though, because I am an invisible employee. More proof of my invisible, and impermanent, status came today, when the new phone list came out. My name wasn’t on it. Just to see what would happen, I emailed the administrative assistant with my phone # and asked him to put me on the list. He responded that he has my phone #, but I’m on a different list.

These things seem small, but they add up …

I would have been more willing to accept fault for this. But she wrote the script and did much of the editing of the story because it had to be turned around quickly and was too much work for one person. The reason it had to be done under time pressure? Management suddenly decided to air the story, after telling me earlier in the week that there was no scheduled air date and they needed me to work on reporting other stories. 

The upshot was I got a little lecture on managing my workload. I couldn’t believe it. I actually talked back a little, pointing out that I had specifically asked for a due date, was told their was none and to work on other things. I also pointed out that this is not job that’s easy to fit into 40 hours a week, but that I had been told by a senior manager not to work more than 40 hours. She then said it’s my responsibility for figuring out how to manage my workload to fit within that time. 

This is how you take a person who is highly motivated, hard-working, and loyal and turn them into a disgruntled and demoralized “staff member.” Blame them for your own — and the situation’s — shortcomings, and tell them it’s their responsibility to do better.

OK, I admit I got cold feet after my first post. But I’m angry enough today to post again. The day after I started this blog, my supervisor called me in. She told me she had some bad news. The company had decided not to fill the permanent position I had applied for. They were going to keep me on as a temporary employee. The good news? They were letting all the other temps go.

After I got over the disappointment at the evaporation of the permanent position, I was happy and a little proud. I felt like I had won Survivor. 

I began to worry about keeping a blog. Would my employer find it and trace it back to me? Could I get fired for writing about life as a temp? Would it be perceived as complaining, a bad attitude?

I kept thinking I should be lucky to have a job in this economy. Still – let me reiterate. I have exactly the same responsibilities as other permanent journalists on the staff. The only difference is I’m not allowed to work more than 40 hours a week, since they don’t have the budget for overtime. Oh, and I don’t get benefits like health insurance or paid time off.

So the other week I was told to take a week off. OK, fine, but I really didn’t need or want a week off at home in the middle of February. But I should be happy to have a job, right? I’m doing what I love and getting paid for it. Who cares if other people doing the same thing have better deals? Just forget about it. 

Then today I lost it. Quietly, of course. Us temps can’t make scenes in the workplace. As part of the deal where all the other temps were let go, the company moved another journalist from another department to our team. She didn’t want to be moved, but here she is. 

Today an intern came around with a camera to photograph her for the Web site. This is a person with less experience, who I’m helping every day by answering questions on how to do her job. Yet, because she happens to be classified as a permanent employee, and happened to get a permanent job with the company before the economy fell apart, she gets to be on the Web site. I get to continue to be invisible.

I’m not totally sure why they haven’t put me on the Web site, but I suspect it’s because if they did formally acknowledge my presence on the staff, it would undermine their case for classifying me as a temp. Bottom line? This is all about health insurance and not wanting to pay it. So I get to be a second-class employee.

Morale in the toilet at work today. How can a liberal employer justify this kind of discriminatory treatment of an employee? My boss has told me that if weren’t there, the team couldn’t function, that we basically could not put out our product.

We do stories all the time about things like the exploitation of illegal immigrants, poor working conditions in meat factories, etc. Yet somehow they rationalize exploiting their own employee. Oh, sorry. Not employee. Temp.

Yes, I know, in today’s economy I should be grateful just to have a job. And I am. I LOVE my job. I’m a journalist who spends all day finding people with compelling stories to tell. I’m good at what I do. I have a master’s degree and 18 years of work experience. I get paid less than $20 per hour. I’m not going to complain too much about that – I’ve never been motivated to earn a big salary. What’s hardest is being temporary. Just a temp. Disposable.

As the news industry collapses and more and more industries turn to temporary employees, I’m beginning to wonder if the job with actual benefits is going the way of the dinosaurs …

This blog will be my daily diary of my adventures as a temp. Will my employer fold? Fire me tomorrow? Find money to hire me full time? Stay tuned. And feel free to share what you’re going through – us temps need to unite.