Thank you for your post, Open Eyes. I agree. I think she doesn't have the self-awareness or the interest in being collaborative in her work environment; that is, to think about how her words and actions affect her coworkers, even me, the temp.

She has been there for 3 years; her coworker has been there for 3 years, and their boss has been there for 9 years. All they've done this week is ignore me, and then complain to each other and talk about the people who live in this Section 8 building as if they were all losers. These are people who have nobody; they are on work release from jail, coming out of being homeless, unemployed, recovering addicts, recovering alcoholics, mentally ill, some have physical and mental disabilities too. There is a nonprofit organization whose case workers are assigned to work with the tenants in the building to create a plan for them to 1) find employment 2) get a checking account 3) continue their treatment plan 4) attend group therapy 5) stay clean 6) pay their bills, buy their groceries, etc.

Yes, I'm stuck working with three very desensitized people who lack self-awareness and whose callousness is either from feeling emotionally burnout as the property managers of this building, which according to them has been mismanaged for the past twenty years.

I'm just a temp. I just want to be useful. I want to be treated with respect. I was told this job has the potential to be extended. I need the money so I would tough it out, if my assignment gets extended.

At least it's an easy job and I can ignore these three people and focus my energy on helping the vulnerable tenants who are all trying to exist and be happy with where they're at.

Is it a toxic work environment? Definitely. The nonprofit office in the back, is behind locked doors. I went to use the bathroom back there and saw a coffee pot FULL of old, cold coffee with green mold spores floating inside it.

When I let the 3 staff know, they all just shrugged and stared at me, like I just wasted their time with unimportant information. If this building is so mismanaged due to funding or lack of staff, why is that my fault? I'm a temp.

Since it's easier to get a job when you have a job, as toxic as the work environment is there, I'd stay for the stable paycheck while I continue to job search. I've kept a spreadsheet and so far I've applied to 70 jobs since May with no job offers and 15 interviews. Those are terrible odds but I know that it's like this for everyone; the job market is tough.