PRE COVID
Worked for 6 months as a sub-contractor in a newly created administrative role support senior software engineering project engineers. Overall day to day is similar to working in a warehouse with some thrown together conference spaces (usually lacking equipment or overly disorderly). Company primarily hires subcontractors for deliverables and direct hires for management so working with a variety of stakeholders. Company events and activities are open to all, but services like the gym and the health center are reserved for direct hires as well. I went to the health center once for a band aid and was turned away because I was not a direct hire.
Requested monthly meetings to discuss workload balance; discussions mostly focused around work prioritization and not having enough work to do. No change/progress/actions positively recorded from these meetings. Another program, while I was lacking in work, requested I present and then train their teammate on the metrics that I generated. The request denied by my supervisors as I had, paraphrasing, “too much work to do” and that that specific program was not paying my salary.
COVID
When covid first appeared in the space it was kept very quiet, you only knew about the cases in your program, despite everyone mingling in common areas like hallways, bathrooms and the kitchen. I was surprised and disappointed to the see the very minimal communication and safety precautions enacted as covid cases kept appearing. Hearing stories of people coming to work with a fever for a few days. Other co-workers having to take desensitization showers everyday upon coming home so they do not risk their immunocompromised family members. I was only provided a temporary medical mask one day when I hunted one down myself. My subcontracting company provided hand sanitizer and cleaning products to myself and other subcontractors, which my desk mates would borrow. Regular mask wearing inside conference spaces was not enforced going into April.
Without going into my personal medical history, I was unable to continue my work in office and a month later my “termination was accepted” (did I really have a choice?). At the end my employment, my workload included tasks I could only do in the office and I was uncomfortable returning to the workplace with so few health and safety regulations in place.