Today, we stumbled across an article published by the Ross School of Business called The Stranger at the Water Cooler, which discussed integrating temp workers into the workplace community. We thought it was ironic, given the effort temps at the UM Business school are going through to try and bring themselves into the school's very own workplace community.
The author presented temps as though they choose their own status as sub-workers. As if being a temp, or as the article put it a "free agent," was somehow desirable for the 1/5th of the American workforce relegated to sub-worker status. Carl T. Camden, CEO of a temp company, who was quoted in the article, says "permanent employment already is an oxymoron," highlighting the growing trend of companies using temporary workers as opposed to full-time employees. His position equates being a temporary worker with freedom on the job, attempting to sell the idea (or justify it) by discussing the freedom of the temp to move from organization to organization at will. The idea couldn't fall further from the truth. Workers don't choose to be temps, nor do they choose to leave their jobs. They are forced to take on the temp roll because bosses offer them no other choice and often they lose their jobs when middle management decides they are no longer useful. The temp's condition and their lack of choice emphatically disproves Camden's assertion, and emphasizes the lack of freedom a temp truly has.
Permanent employment is a hallmark of stability. People deserve steady and dependable jobs. Its hard enough living paycheck to paycheck, but the looming possibility of termination and having to jump from job to job is nothing short of a tragedy experienced by today's temporary worker.
