Slacker tip #160 - knowing when a good thing is coming to an end
Being a slacker and getting paid to do nothing is great fun. But in my experience that fun usually comes to an end and then you have to look for the next job that will unknowingly pay you to do nothing. There are usually some flashing neon signs that warn you that your free ride is about to come to an end though. That, of course, is assuming that they do not fire you immediately upon discovering just what exactly they have been paying you to do, or in this case not do.
Here are some things that should clue you in that your boss is onto your slacker ass…
You get assigned a new desk.
Usually this new desk assignment will be one of two places. You will either be placed in the direct line of view of the boss. Or you will be seated where the office tattle tale can watch you. (In my experience the office tattle tale is an older, overweight woman.)
Your boss asks you to email or see him as soon as you arrive each morning.
Yes, as a slacker you are most definitely coming in late. This is especially true if you are a temp and are working that 7 minute rounding thing. When this happens it usually means they are trying to use chronic lateness as a way to fire you and just need the proof. I suspect this is for reasons of not wanting to pay unemployment. I get confused though when they do this for someone that is a temp because the temp agency is who pays unemployment.
You are asked what you do all day
Usually this is a result of the office tattle tale making a report to the boss. It does not matter if you are meeting your daily quota, you will still get this confrontation if you get told on. As a slacker, when I have a job with a daily quota I do the bare minimum and then slack the rest of the day. Your boss may even say something along the lines of “I have no idea what you could be doing.” Now, I am not sure if they say this because they just can’t imagine someone doing something else on the company time besides work or if they are at a loss of what to do if there is not a television and a six pack nearby.
When these things start to happen to you then you need to realize that your free ride is about to come to a screeching halt. If I were you though, I would ride it out till the end. If you are a temp then you will be able to get unemployment and that rocks. If you are not a temp, then be careful giving them things that they can document (like your arrival time) so that you can get unemployment.
Then, it is on to the next job!
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