Temping in the Big Apple

My newest position started last Monday at a well established, fairly large, accounting firm on the eastside in midtown Manhattan. Supposedly, when we actually start working, I'm to help them track down some lost assets for one of their rather gigantic corporate clients. Well, for the better part of last week, we did absolutely nothing! I'm not complaining. On this particular assignment I'm making well above the newly proposed minimum wage increase. If they want to pay me to sit in the break room, drink bottomless cups of free tea, read my book and talk to my fellow colleague—I'll let them. Gratefully, I will collect that money as if I have worked my ass off.

I know an individual has to first be qualified to get these positions through a temp agency and second be reachable and available for the position. But why so much pomp and red tape just to be hired to sit in a break room? We all know that America’s priorities are—for lack of a better description—fucked up. The humanist in me wants to give my paycheck away to the first homeless person I see. If this city weren’t so expensive to live in I would. I’m not making this argument to get brownie points or exercise my ideals, but getting paid a full week of pay for a total of maybe two hours of work is wrong. People do not have their shit together. Instead of paying someone to sit around why not send them home until the job arrangements are ready and give that money to someone who really needs it?