Making a Difference, One Staple at a Time!

I'll keep this as short as possible. I started a new job. There wasn't enough at my old place to keep me busy so I was sent on a temporary assignment to help out another department. The work is completely different than what I was used to and what I've done in the past. Its a sort of records department and in my head I imagined a big white room with tall filing cabinets that reached the ceiling and little manila folders with tabs on the end. Oh my God! What a nightmare. I'm so aweful at alphebetizing. I tried to keep an open mind and think about all that I would be learning. Maybe it would turn out to be fascinating work. Maybe I would learn about HR laws or pick up new transferrable skills.

Sadly, it's just as I imagined in my worst nightmare. Except the walls aren't white. I'm surrounded by thousands of folders in all colors, each meaning something different and thankfully they are not sorted alphabetically, but numerically so I spend countless hours sorting form after form so that I can spend more hours sifting through folders. And when that's done, I spend the rest of my hours removing staples, taping down loose corners or undoing creases that came as a result of spending years in a folder on a shelf. I've never had so much work and yet felt the time move so slowly in my life. I no longer have a desk, a computer or a phone. I had to start wearing a uniform of sorts because I was afraid to ruin my clothes.

I'm trying to be so brave. I wear a big smile and tackle all tasks assigned. But they worry. "I'm so happy you came back. I hope we didn't scare you away." They try to be encouraging and assure me that the work adds value. My trainer says "I know it feels like we're nitpicking, but it's so important to remove the staple ahead of time because when we're filing it goes so much faster." I don't answer. I simply smile and nod. Oh God, please help me. The people there are very nice and pleasant to be around. Plus, it's nice to wear sneakers to work and not have to pick out an outfit everyday, right? I'm only part time and it's just temporary, right?