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HR-Filter: How does the temp agency you work for store its secure documents?

griphus — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:56:46 -0800

Document Imagine/HR-Filter: How does your large company store its secure documents? Okay, so I work on the admin end of a temp agency (i.e. not as a temp.) I'm in charge of document imaging. Rather, I'm in charge of creating a document imaging infrastructure. My boss said I can purchase any software I need so that we may retain the documents the temps fill in when they register. We have a lot of registered temps/day (>100) but this is a small non-profit with a limited budget, so software over a couple of thousand is out of the question. Bonuses for software companies w/ discounts for non-profits. Getting a consultant for this or speaking to a lawyer regarding any of these matters is also out of the question.

So, what system do you recommend for retention of Federal (I-9/W4) and HIPAA documents? By the rules, it has to be secure and able to track all reads and writes of/to the scanned documents.

I don't really need indexing software because we don't have an industrial scanner and because all incoming files are checked by hand.

Finally, if you have a company in NYC that has such a system set up, I would have no problem showing up to your offices for a tour. In fact, I'll take you out to lunch or something for the privilege. (Mods, please delete this request if it is against the rules)

HR Filter

Hypnotic Chick — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:13:31 -0800

Human Resources Professionals - What websites, news outlets, blogs, etc. do you and your colleagues read to keep up with events in your field? Hey all. I'm looking to find out about all things human resources from the perspective of a working professional. This includes government activity as well (I'll be keeping an eye on the Senate HELP Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee plus the US Dept. of Labor). Are there other relevant government agencies that I should keep an eye on (or a division within any of these that are especially important)? Do you ever look at think tank white papers? What are the relevant keywords you use to keep up with the news? Blogs?

Like I said above, I'm looking for all things HR and I'm approaching this from a perspective of near-total beginner status. Thanks all!

Is my new tardiness policy fair?

titans13 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:51:33 -0800

I am seeking feedback on the fairness of a new tardiness policy I instituted at my company. I own an IT services firm that also has a retail storefront (the more traditional computer repair shop model). We have had a situation with chronic tardiness, to the point where on a recent Saturday, at three minutes before opening, I was the only one there (whereas four people were scheduled that day). I have now instituted what I believed to be a fair and generous policy, and some don't like it as they say it is too strict. Please read on for the policy... 1-14 minutes late: 2 points
15-29 minutes late: 3 points
30-59 minutes late: 4 points
1 Hour + late: 6 points

With call less than 15 minutes ahead:
1-14 minutes late: 1 points
15-29 minutes late: 2 points
30-59 minutes late: 3 points
1 Hour + late: 5 points

With call 15 minutes or more ahead:
1-14 minutes late: .5 points
15-29 minutes late: 1 points
30-59 minutes late: 2 points
1 Hour + late: 3.5 points

Points are accumulated within any 30-day period. This is not the first through the end of any given month; it is a simple consecutive 30 days.
Consequences within 30 days:
6 points = Verbal warning
8 points = 1 day suspension without pay
10 points = 2 day suspension without pay
12 points = Week suspension without pay

Now...I am not an HR person...I am a tech who evolved into a businessman. I am looking for perspective, potential holes in the policy, and opinions as to it's strictness/fairness. Thanks to all in advance!

Am I being sexually harassed?

Solomon — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:28:27 -0800

How does one define "sexual harassment"? I have a colleague at work ("Mary") who seems to enjoy touching me. As far as I can tell, she only touches me. She has also in the past revealed parts of her anatomy to me that I did not wish to see, namely the inside of her thigh and her décolletage (I suffer from eczema, and she was on both occasions showing me a rash that she has). I have been poked in the area of my kidneys, grabbed around the waist (and she didn't let go, despite me moving), had my beard grabbed and had her put her "cold" hands on my face to show me how cold they were.

I have never given her any kind of encouragement to do this whatsoever.

I am 100% certain that it's not sexual on my side. I'm rather confused as to whether or not it is on hers - she knows I'm not going to be interested in her. I don't know if that makes a difference or not?

I am male, late 20's, openly gay. Mary is a married woman in her 40's (I think) with kids only a few years younger than me. I'm shocked and pretty appalled that a colleague would behave in this manner, but I don't want to start using terms like "sexual harassment" when talking to our mutual boss about this if that's not what this is. I haven't spoken to Mary, but I don't really feel comfortable doing that.

One other problem that I have is that our mutual boss has very few people skills and will try to avoid communicating with us at all, even to say hello and goodbye. I've spoken to him about various issues in the past (you may recall A), and he's basically done nothing about the problem. I think I may have to use the phrase "sexual harassment" to get him to do anything, but I don't want to throw that grenade into the discussion lightly. I'd rather not cause a scene unless I have to, given that I have to work with these people, but I do want the invasion of personal space to stop (Mary also took my personal mobile phone number without my consent from a list in an office that only Managers and Supervisors have access to - she occasionally works as duty manager).

Hence my question: when is it sexual harassment? Is there another magic phrase that I can use to get my boss to deal with this problem?

Online career change exercises wanted

reenum — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:22:57 -0800

Are there any websites or online resources for people considering a career change? I've been thinking of changing careers for a while, and after some recent events at the office, it's time to get up and start figuring some things out.

I'm going to get "What Color Is Your Parachute" and a few other recommended texts from other threads, but I'm wondering if there are any websites or other online resources (preferably free), that have exercises and other things I can use to try and evaluate what it is I truly want to do.

I have a lot of free time at work. For obvious reasons, I don't want to show up here with career change books.

Thanks!

Just call me Forgetful Jones.

Madamina — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:20:45 -0800

I missed the date to continue my state health insurance. Now my only option is to pay for the super-high-end one until 2011. Do I have any chance of fixing this? I've been working in my awesome office since 2005. I started as a "classified" (state civil service) employee doing administrative work, then transitioned into a half-time position as a graduate assistant (different union) while finishing my master's degree. In September, I transitioned back into full-time work, which is a different position but still technically "classified." During this entire time, I've only filled out one set of tax paperwork (except when my relationship status changed) and have had the same financial coordinator/boss. I've even sat at the same desk through three very different jobs.

So the other day when I went to the doctor, I got held up at the desk. They said my insurance had expired on October 31, and that they couldn't find me anywhere in the system. Eventually I just got fed up, and my clinician and I agreed to just go in and do the appointment and figure it out later.

When I got to work, I checked in with my boss, and she got in touch with the benefits people.

Turns out that when I started my "new job" on Sept. 1, I had 30 days to enroll in a plan. Then I could have done open enrollment for next year during October, but although I considered it, I didn't end up switching.

This is doubly weird because they didn't consider me a new employee for tax purposes. Or, I should add, for vacation purposes -- I only have the leftover hours from my previous stint as a classified employee, which also kinda stinks.

So all I can do now is enroll in the "standard plan." Luckily, that gives me my choice of everything, but unluckily it's the most expensive plan and has a 180-day pre-existing condition clause for everything except pregnancy. And I'm not eligible to change until next year's open enrollment, which still won't go into effect until 2011. (Geez. 2011.)

And... in looking at the cost, it's $150 more expensive for just me, and $488 for a "family plan" (adding a partner or child). So I guess we won't be doing that. I should add that this extra $150 would be reeeeeally nice to have when I start paying my loans in January. (My boyfriend has insurance, but it's way less useful than my state plan, and I may not qualify as a domestic partner.)

I'm just so royally peeved that this perfect storm of forgetfulness between me and my boss ended up like this. Apparently there was one line in my appointment letter that said I had to sign up, but that was it. No reminder from anyone, and no note saying "Oh, watch out, you're going to lose your insurance at the end of the month." I mean, it's not their responsibility to do so, but I never even got anything to say that my 30-day window was over.

Is there anything I can do? I am assuming from prior interactions that HR's rules (which are the state rules) are pretty hard and fast, but they've also treated me like a continuing employee for the whole time. Plus most situations don't involve someone who goes back and forth like this.

Yes, that's right. I AM a special snowflake.

Are there any sort of things I could say to help my case? Could I get fired and rehired? I'm in Wisconsin.

cubicle farm noise

neworder7 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:04:30 -0800

There is a laud/noisy colleague in the cubicle farm office. Any suggestions how to deal with the situation? I work in a big company - this person is very laud especially when she is on the phone. She works for another department within the company and I don't know her personally so I don't really feel comfortable having a discussion with her at all.

I contacted HR to ask their advice regarding how to deal with her. They said they will speak to her manager. I also suggested maybe they can start cubicle etiquette initiative to make people more aware that they work in shared office environment and be considerate of other people.

There has been no change and a month later I contacted HR for the second time. They said they will again speak to her manager also suggested I should speak to her myself in person.

Another person from my team also spoke to her manager and he seemed reluctant to deal with it, I am afraid nobody has spoken to her yet.

What are my options here?
1. What is the best way to deal with her without having to speak to her?
2. Is it feasible to pursue HR for the third time?
or
3. If you think as a last resort I should make the move and speak to her myself, what's the best way to do it?

I was wondering is it OK for HR to put me in a position to somewhat confronting her? I was wondering shouldn't the company have policies to provide reasonable working environment for its employees?

I work for an big international company in Australia if that matters.

Thanks.

Self portrait?

bluejayway — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:40:40 -0800

A prospective employer is sending me a Rembrandt Portrait Profile for me to fill out. Does anyone in the hive have any experience with this tool? What will it really tell them about me?

Help me get this job!

Bageena — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:35:48 -0800

I have an interview for a Dialer Admin II position at a huge collections outfit in four hours. Although I have about 10 years of collections call center experience and have worked extensively ON a dialer, I've never actually done any Dialer Admin-type work. What can I say or do to help me get this job? I've already landed a position as a collector for said company, but this could make the different between a job and a career. I feel like I have enough experience in collections to do the job right, even if I don't know much about building a dialer campaign specifically. So yeah - hoping there are some dialer admins, HR or manager-type people who can give me some good advice on how to win this possibly life-changing interview.

HR-friendly wording for "Emergency family biz manager"

No-sword — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:21:07 -0800

A friend of mine is reworking her resume. It includes a brief period (less than 3 months) in which she was temporarily running her father's (small) business after he suddenly became incapacitated by illness. After this, her elder sister took over. Apart from the obvious point of listing the actual tasks performed + skills required, what is an HR-friendly way of describing this situation? She feels like she has to explain the family connection + emergency situation or a 3-month stint as manager will seem suspicious... but also doesn't want the whole thing to sound too nepotistic or "not a real job"-ish. The company itself is in a wildly different field from the one she is applying in.

Keywords for the Finance industry?

ckohrman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:29:41 -0800

Please help me gather Keywords for the "Accounting/Finance/Insurance" industry. I'd like to create keyword lists for the "Accounting/Finance/Insurance" industry. These keywords will be used to help tag resumes on a job board.

Possible examples might be: actuary, Quickbooks, Excel, etc. Thanks for your help!

Are we related?

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:44:15 -0800

I'm female; my partner is male. We have a child, but are not going to get married. Are we related for HR purposes? I'm in the process of applying for a job at a company where my partner already works. Part of the process is to be asked about relationships with people in the company, and I think the question is "Do you have any relatives at this company?" Since we're not married, I think we're not related, but it's a long term partnership, with a child, and the only reason we're not getting married is that for reasons I don't want to get into, is it would be more trouble than it's worth.

I am not sure when or how, to disclose the relationship, or if it's appropriate to do so. I'm also curious about what the intent of policies governing relatives in the workplace are supposed to do.

We would not be working directly together; we would mostly be in separate divisions with occasional overlap, but not a hierarchical association (he's not working for me, or vice versa).

If you were having dinner with any historical person of your choosing...What color would the tablecloth be?

SinisterPurpose — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:25:10 -0800

What are the most interesting or unusual questions you've ever been asked at a job interview? Spurred on by a raging FPP, I'm moving forward on a project regarding the nature of job interviews.

What have been the most memorable, surprising, or downright strange questions you've ever been asked in an interview? How did you answer them? And what was the interviewer, in your opinion, trying to get at by asking them?

And please, If there are HR people out there, are you required to ask questions you find strange? What's the strangest answer you've received to a seemingly straight forward question?

Health insurance only for execs' kids?

ethorson — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:56:16 -0800

Can a company provide health insurance for an executive's dependents (spouse, kids, etc) but not for other employees' dependents? Is it legal for a company to provide health insurance for some of its employees' dependents but not for others? For instance, can the plan specify that it covers the CEO's spouse and kids but not a web developer's or project manager's kids? (given that all three employees are eligible for insurance, etc). There was a bit of discussion of this issue in this thread, but I'd like to hear (a) whether anyone has actually experienced a policy like this and (b) what, if any, regulations (HIPAA, ERISA, etc) might prohibit it.

I'm asking for a friend who is located in Virginia and works at a company with fewer than 10 employees. This is *not* the insurance plan currently implemented at their company, but a proposed change to the existing plan.

What training and orientation does your workplace provide to new employees?

Jaybo — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:35:50 -0800

What sort of training and orientation does your workplace provide to new employees? I'm particularly interested in what libraries do with new employees - both front line and support staff - but would also love to hear what what other organizations, companies and sectors do as well in case I could adapt something for our library's new employee orientation plan.

I'm interested in anything from the type of training that new employees are given, how long it lasts, how formalized it is, who leads it, what it is comprised of (do you use manuals? Online modules? Are these developed in-house or obtained from somewhere else?) If employees receive one-on-one training or group training? How does it differ depending on the role of the employee (what does a front line public service clerk get versus a librarian versus a support staff member working in say, IT or Marketing?)

How long do you need to consider an employment offer (in the US)?

mockjovial — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:51:47 -0800

What timeframe do you need to consider and respond to an employment offer (in the US)? I just made a job offer to a chemical engineer in Chicagoland and gave what I thought was a reasonable amount of time to consider it – until the close of business Friday, or Monday morning at the latest. 3-5 days. He asked me to wait until a week from this Friday – 10 days.

I’m sure he is waiting to see what else pans out. He confirmed that our offer was in line with his previously stated expectations.

I told him I’d let him know shortly how long we are willing to wait for a response.

In your opinion, what is a reasonable amount of time to have in order to consider a job offer? Was I out of line?

Include mentions to race on a resume?

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:33:47 -0800

Is it okay to indicate race in a resume? I have recently been getting my resume in order to send out to potential companies and organizations. In my current resume I mention a scholarship I received for being an influential black male in my home town before I moved and went off to college.

It's 2009 so it's easy to suggest those things don't matter and that it's crazy but that's not always the case. The city I am looking for a job in has a very small black population and at one time was the sixth whitest city in the country for it's size (200,000+ I believe). It is basically known as a college town.

Should I let my experiences do the talking and exclude any mentions to race? I'm still fairly young, mid-20s, so any experiences or suggestions you've dealt with or seen would help.

Should I go work for one company (1-2 month) while waiting for another company's offer?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:42:24 -0800

Should I accept the offer from company "A", knowing full well that I would go work for company "B" in 1-2 month? I'm sure 99% that B's offer will come, but should I do this as a way of hedging my bets? Hello, fellow hiveminds. I need to ask you guys (gals) something work related, and so I must be anonymous. [Also, English isn't my first language, so please excuse my grammar/spelling.)

I'm 27 years old, got Bachelor in Engineering and Master in Finance. I used to work as a software developer for almost 4 years, then went for a master in the US. Now I have returned and live in Asia. (my hometown)

I got my master recently and have a bit of an "identity crisis". I'm not sure which career path I want to pursue -- in IT or Finance. (I know, it's a bit silly but that's another post all together)

So what I did was sending resumes to both IT and Finance companies. While waiting for the companies to respond (a few weeks), I finally figured it out that I want to go the Finance route. Shortly after that I got an interview, and then an offer from Company A. Nice pays, nice benefits. I also talked with company B and also got an "acceptance" in principle.

I must elaborate about A & B a bit. Company A is a big US software company, specialising in Financial and Legal/consulting business. I don't have anything against A, it's just not the career path I want to pursue.

Company B is also a big international financial firm. I used to work as a programmer for a guy there (my boss) and after discussing with him and his superiors, they're very interested in me and told me that I'll be in his new business plan. Actually, I talked with him on and off about this opportunity since 5 months ago.

This position is the greatest you can ask for, for an entry level position.The problem is, they can't offer me anything concrete until (they are guessing) 1-2 months because of the new business plan. (approval, paperwork and all that)

The reason I'm confident about B's future offer is -- the Top executive at the company really likes me and even called me personally about this opportunity. So it's 95% confidence level for me.

Ok... really long background, sorry. my question is:

Should I accepted an offer from company A? It's a good deal for me, but I'd feel bad about company A. Would there be repercussions if I did? And Are there other [better] solutions?

I welcome all suggestions, and thank you so much for reading through all that.

How to batch print hundreds of emails from gmail?

Anonymous — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:40:13 -0800

Initiating an HR investigation, need to print hundreds of emails from gmail. Possible? I'm initiating a formal complaint against my immediate supervisor and/or possible civil action. About 99% of my contact with her is via email, all are saved in my Gmail archive. I've got about 300 threads, some with as many as 20 back-and-forths, and I need to print them *all.*

What's the best route? Is there a way to automate that? If I have to export to another client, is it difficult to only export the ones I need and not the 10,000 other emails in my account?

Alternatively, I could just grab all the text, but it would need to go in reverse-chronological order to demonstrate a history of lying and/or reprimanding me for doing things she specifically asked me to do.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Why is "references upon request" so common in resumes?

RajahKing — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:08:38 -0800

In my middle management position at a non-profit, I get to see a good amount of resumes pass over my desk for various positions in my department. Why is it so common for job applicants to place "References Upon Request" at the bottom of the resume? Seems to me that anyone applying for a professional, salaried position would expect that, after a good enough interview, they would be asked for references. I would not hire someone without at least a nominal reference check, and I would not hire someone who told me they had no references. So why is it so important to explicitly let the interviewer know they have references?

I feel like its as useful as writing "I will attend a second interview upon request." But I am not in HR so maybe someone knows (I asked my HR, they don't know, but then again they don't know much at all.)

Yeah I know this is a really, really important question.

help me "network" appropriately

dlugoczaj — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:15:41 -0800

Outreach to friend in HR when applying for a job? I’m interested in leaving my job of over nine years because of changes in the agency culture and my own burnout (the latter strongly influenced by the former). Today I spotted a new job posting at a nearby organization that sounds very appropriate for my level of experience.

“Linda,” the head of HR at this organization, is the former head of HR at my current agency, who was there about ten years and left approximately a year ago (and took her former assistant from our HR department with her shortly afterwards). I’ve always gotten along well with Linda; she’s been helpful to me in my own work, we were in an agency book group together for a while, and we are currently Facebook friends (at her request). I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that she struggled with the same agency-culture challenges that I’m facing now.

The job posting requests resumes to be sent to the supervisor of that position, not to HR, which I will do. However, is it kosher for me to let Linda know that I’m applying? Would it possibly do any good? Conversely, could it do any harm? (I’m thinking of employment law issues, conflict of interest, etc.) What’s considered appropriate? I'm not fond of "networking" so this is not necessarily comfortable for me.

Help me break into the Human Resources field!

Piscean — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:27:44 -0800

How can a person with no HR experience get a job in Human Resources? I am an unemployed qualitative sociologist who had to drop out of college before completing my Ph.D after becoming a victim of economic layoffs a few months ago. I already have an MA in sociology and do plan to return to my doctoral program. In the meantime, I need a job. My past 20 years of work experience have been in social services, IT work and qualitative sociology (research). I have been interested in moving into the Human Resources field and have found open positions; unfortunately, every job -even entry-level positions- requires prior HR experience. I am willing to work as an intern while I am on unemployment in order to gain experience, but have yet to find such opportunities (and of course I actually prefer to work, as I need the income). Does anyone have any ideas to help me break into this career?

How do I come up with effective IT policies?

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:33:16 -0800

My organization has tapped me to write and define IT policies and procedures. What are some examples of level-headed policies I can show them and won't turn us into one of those organizations where people end up tunneling to their home computers to check their gmail? We are not a high security organization. There's no real reason to keep everyone's computers locked down like data fortresses. We don't have to comply with any sort of government regulation. This is all internal busy work. There is some hope though. When I asked what they would like to see, they gave me very general things, "No looking at porn at work," or "No using company e-mail accounts in an inappropriate manner." The executives I am working with have no idea how IT works, which has its downsides, but I think I might be able to spin this to my advantage. On the other hand, I have an executive who sees the receptionist on Facebook all day and wants to "ban The Facebook" (they're paying her $12/hr to watch the phones, which she does and does well, you get paid six figures, take several months of vacation and show up whenever you want, give her a break).

So what are some examples of good policies? Any textbooks or papers someone wants to refer me too? I'm having dreams of Kafka's The Castle here. Right now my policies are technically driven, you get this level of access if you're in this position, you can use up so much network storage, mail attachments are limited to such-and-such MB per message, mailboxes are limited to 20GB, etc. I don't feel as if defining "don't look at porn" is necessary, and I find it incredibly insulting. I also feel as if you expect us to dedicate ourselves to the company, miss family events, we should be treated as professionals. I just need to codify this in HR speak.

Surely someone here has seen effective policies in place that make sense, allow people the freedom to work and not always run against silly policies. I guess my biggest fear is that the policies are so broad, such as "no checking personal e-mails," that it is not enforced through electronic means and thus only enforced selectively and used as a passive-aggressive weapon.

Is it okay to give the name of a hiring manager as a reference, too?

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:48:53 -0800

Someone who is one of my best professional references wants to hire me! But now how do I offer good references to his large, corporate HR department? Mr. Men Tor was a supervisor and professional mentor to me a few places of employment ago. I have, since those days, used him as one of my best professional references. We had a terrific working relationship and remain in touch today, well over a decade later.

Recently he mentioned that there's a position under him that he would like me to fill. While I'm not entirely sure the position would work for me due to it requiring a vicious multi-hour commute, he has encouraged me to go through the process in any case and I'm game.

But I've reached a minor sticking point in how to proceed. Mr. Tor's company's HR department is sure to ask me for my professional references, however I have no idea if it's kosher to put his name down. Is giving the name of the hiring manager something that will look dodgy to your typical HR person? Or would I be viewed more favorably in that case? I have other professional references I can use but Mr. Tor is definitely the strongest of them and if it makes sense to offer his name I certainly would prefer to.

I know the obvious answer would be to ask him, but he has left the decision up to me as he doesn't know what his HR people would think, either.

For context: While we're both located on the west coast of the U.S., this company is a large national corporation with more of a midwestern/east coast culture. Both of us are web people, but the overall company is in the retail industry. The position is one of system engineering and administration, where generally I've found good references to be critical to landing the best work. I never faced this issue as a hiring manager in the past, but also wasn't subject to a tremendous quantity of HR involvement in my hiring process, so can't draw on my prior experience in the corporate world.

Running out of time

emelenjr — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:07:22 -0800

A two-part workplace question. HR people and anyone familiar with contract employment, heads up. Last month, I panicked because I realized my employment contract at Big Credit Card Company was nearing its two-year limit. I was afraid that the month of December (which this year features my brother's wedding as well as Christmas) would be my last month of employment. So I e-mailed my rep at the staffing company who placed me in my current position. Rep said fear not—due to my Jan. '07 start date, the end date wouldn't fall until April '09 instead of Jan. '09.

Phew.

On Thursday this week, I had a meeting with my hiring manager at the credit card company, who informed me that the negotiations either to grant me an extra extension or to hire me off my contract weren't fruitful, so my last day would be in Jan. '09. I informed my hiring manager that my rep at the staffing company had said otherwise, to which my hiring manager said he knew nothing. Following the meeting, I forwarded the e-mail between me and my staffing company rep to my hiring manager, who said he'd get back to me.

Now. Realistically, I don't think the staffing company's e-mail will change very much about the credit card company's two-year policy for contractors. (Contractors can work no longer than two years, and then must take a 90-day hiatus before they can be brought back in, if needed.) I suspect the most it will do is get my rep in some hot water for not having her facts straight. But maybe I'm wrong. January '07 to January '09 does make sense, so I understand my hiring manager's point. However, as recently as last month, the company that negotiated my contract with the credit card company did make a point to tell me I was wrong to think the contract would be up in January.

Part 1: Is the fact that I have written documentation from my staffing company basically saying, "No, you're wrong about January. Your end date will fall in April instead," worth anything? What's my best course of action if the staffing company rep says, "Oops, my bad. You've got 90 fewer days left than we both thought"?

Part 2: Any tips for staying psyched up about a job when I know the end date is looming closer and closer, and there's nothing I can do about it? I've been terminated (by surprise) before, but this is the first experience I've had with what's basically a planned layoff. I do not look forward to starting over somewhere else, and I'm not at all in the mood right now to begin trying to sell myself to another employer. Also, it's hard to avoid feeling like the last two years have been a waste of time. My job duties won't be going away any time soon, and someone else will need to fill my seat (in all likelihood, someone trained by me.)