Ok, this is a rather weird problem. I have work contract, which ends on March 29, to do accounting, at a desk, with a computer, in the accounting department of a non-profit. It's a short term contract, that was supposed to end on January 3, but was extended to March 29. It's a 3-person office, with 3 desks and 3 computers.

Here's the problem. They hired a new person who will take over my duties. That makes sense to me. I didn't want to work there permanently, I agreed to be a stop-gap measure. They've overlapped us. So they start on March 12 and I leave on March 29. But it's a 3-person office. Now there's going to be four people working with three desks and three computers. So I was informed I will no longer have a desk or a computer as of March 12.

Here's my question. I was hired to do accounting inside the accounting department at a desk with a computer. Now I won't have a desk or a computer. Do I still have a job? In my opinion, I no longer have a job, as I don't have anywhere to work. I'm happy to leave the contract early. I'd like to move on. Do I even have a job any more? I'm so confused.

[Yzen]

Could they want you to sit at the same desk with the new person to train them? It could be they want to have the overlap to make sure the new person knows what you have been doing and to keep you for a while for insurance in case the new person doesn't work out. Just a guess.

[MickeyCheeky]

I'm so sorry, clairerobin I agree that it's pretty confusing. Yzen gave you some great advice. I'd suggest to follow it if you can. I'd suggest to talk to your bosses about this and see how it goes from there. Hopefully they will be able to help you. Hopefully they will be able to clear things up for you. I'm so sorry. It must be very hard for you. It sucks when things aren't clear at work. I hope you'll be able to find another job soon. Remember that we're here for you if you need it. Feel free to PM me anytime. Let me know if I can do something to help you. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this

Originally Posted by MickeyCheeky

I'm so sorry, clairerobin I agree that it's pretty confusing. Yzen gave you some great advice. I'd suggest to follow it if you can. I'd suggest to talk to your bosses about this and see how it goes from there. Hopefully they will be able to help you. Hopefully they will be able to clear things up for you. I'm so sorry. It must be very hard for you. It sucks when things aren't clear at work. I hope you'll be able to find another job soon. Remember that we're here for you if you need it. Feel free to PM me anytime. Let me know if I can do something to help you. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this

Thanks to anyone who replied. The HR person yelled at me when I said I wanted to leave early, since I don't have a desk. My boss was different. At first, she was defensive and manipulative, but later she was much more understanding. The thing is: when I was hired in October, if I was told I would be sitting away from the accounting department, in a huge open area, I would have turned down the job. They changed the working conditions after I had been there for five months. If I'm not sitting in the accounting department, then I'm not part of the accounting department. I have no privacy. It's noisy and I'm being stuck with a really hard task of training a new person, which is very stressful. I never agreed to do this. I agreed to do accounting and create a training manual. My biggest pain from all of this is realizing how these people care only about their own needs. I have needs too, but those needs don't enter into their reality. It's really not all that complicated, I need a desk and a computer...inside the accounting department in order to complete my contract.

[seesaw]

Originally Posted by clairerobin

Thanks to anyone who replied. The HR person yelled at me when I said I wanted to leave early, since I don't have a desk. My boss was different. At first, she was defensive and manipulative, but later she was much more understanding. The thing is: when I was hired in October, if I was told I would be sitting away from the accounting department, in a huge open area, I would have turned down the job. They changed the working conditions after I had been there for five months. If I'm not sitting in the accounting department, then I'm not part of the accounting department. I have no privacy. It's noisy and I'm being stuck with a really hard task of training a new person, which is very stressful. I never agreed to do this. I agreed to do accounting and create a training manual. My biggest pain from all of this is realizing how these people care only about their own needs. I have needs too, but those needs don't enter into their reality. It's really not all that complicated, I need a desk and a computer...inside the accounting department in order to complete my contract.

Your needs are very reasonable, and as an employer, if they were a good employer, they'd care about giving you the things you need to do a good job. It's not like you're asking for much. You're asking for very basic things to do your job.

Stand your ground. Be polite but firm.

It sounds like they are unorganized. If they don’t care enough to provide a structured work environment this might not be a place you want to work...

honestly their needs are what matter...if they hired you as a temp employee (that is with a fixed end date) and then hired someone else to begin before that date doing your position it seems they would want you to train them for that position. to me that would be the normal thing to do...you train the employee replacing you...honestly it has nothing to do with privacy..if that happens it's nice but they are not looking to accommodate your wishes if you are the exiting employee. you knew it was a short term position going in...the business may not always have the exact close out date firm....in most places you train your replacement. this is only impacting your for what....2 weeks from what I understand and then you are gone so my advice is make the best of it & then good luck in finding a new position, since like you stated it was never a permanent one.

Thanks to everyone. I think I had a contract to perform specific tasks. Then new tasks were added without discussing those tasks with me. This means I can either agree to those additional tasks, or not. I gave written notice to end my contract due to their inability to provide me with a work space. And due to their expectation that I perform tasks I never agreed to. Training others is unreasonable if you were specifically hired to perform certain tasks. Their staff shortages were internal matters that arose due to the unexpected retirement of two people. Most temps stay for only a few weeks or a few months. They are stop-gap people who are meant to keep the work flowing until a permanent replacement is found. It's not the temp's responsibility to train anyone, unless they've agreed to do so prior to agreeing to work there at all.

When two employees retired, they were not expected to train anyone. And they didn't train anyone. I think it's unreasonable to bring in a temp at that point, expect them to master the job, and then expect them to train a new person, especially when training others was never discussed or agreed to. This means more is expected of the temp than was expected of the two retiring employees, who had been there for 23 and 13 years respectively. I think it really boils down to this: regardless of what the employer wants, the temp's needs are all that matters, because you ultimately can "take it or leave it." I would never stay in a place that sees their own needs as "all that matters." And I do believe there are many employers out there who view people as mere objects.