Jobsworth

My attitude at work has been appalling this week. Talk about pedantic and apathetic, I just didn't give a fuck. It took me twice as long as usual to do anything and I made a point of phoning recruitment agencies to enquire about job opportunities when my the senior manager was within earshot.

"Hooray, only fifteen minutes to go," I said to him at 1.00 on Friday afternoon.

"Buggering off early, today?" he asked amiably.

I frowned and said, "No, because I've stopped smoking I'll have done my 37 hours for the week."

I actually stayed until 2.45pm so I could claim a bit of extra dosh (but still within the 40 hour limit, of course).

"I'm going soon," I told one of the housing association call centre girls over the phone.

"What? Why are you skiving off early?"

"Oh, I'm not skiving. I've done my hours for the week."

"But who's going to answer the phone?"

"Uh, my supervisors are out but should be available on their mobile phones if you need anything."

"What if we can't get them?"

"Sorry, not my problem." I then explained that I was wasn't being obnoxious to them (the call centre girls all love me and want me to be taken on permanently) but that I was making a point to my superiors.

"Mmm, I don't blame you. How stupid of them," she said.

"If you can't get hold of anyone and wish to complain that there is nobody here in the office to take your calls for the next two hours, feel free to make it formal."

One of my supervisors has been reassuring me that he is trying to move things along with regards to making my job permanent and saying how horrible it would be for them to have to take on someone new, an unknown quantity, and train them up from scratch. However, my behaviour this week has been so blatantly jaded and critical that he must now suspect that the likelihood of me accepting a permanent role or even applying for it is minimal. Even though I have not secured any alternate employment yet, I feel demob-happy. One way or another, I'm not going to be there much longer.