what do you call....

...going to the workplace when you only have to be there for four or five hours? I guess it's work, but a struggle to get out of that nice warm cozy bed. Jump into enough layers of warmness and tie shoe laces. When you will leave home in the dark, go and park in a dark lot and spend the morning in a frustrating game of 'catch up'. Knowing you don't have enough time to actually get it all done.

I've been on the schedule to work for three days, several hours each day. Not sure how I am supposed to do everything that needs doing in the allotted time. I know at a corporate level there has been a serious crack down going on with labor budgets, and heaven forbid the stuff that flows downhill if someone should get over forty hours. But uncertain as to how it will be possible to squeeze everything in the limited number of minutes allowed.

It's pretty unusual for me to even be scheduled to work in the floral area of the store; I left that weeks ago, when I started doing the cooking demo. But the guy who usually does that job, plus taking up lots of slack in the produce area: is out. He saved enough vacation time to take a week off, and has been out of town since Christmas Eve. I do not want him to come back to a mess on New Year's Day, but don't expect to get everything done today.

There is freight from the warehouse to put out that has been piling up since Sunday. There are plants to water. There are buckets to scrub before fresh bouquets can be put in them, tables to clean, rearranging and organizing. Just a lot of routine, daily work - that has been neglected for several days. With no one doing those daily tasks, it is so hard to try to do three days work in one half day... and have it fluffed, spiff'ed up to standards with insufficient time.

And the corporate attitude of 'take responsibility' and 'be accountable', but don't come in early and don't expect to stay late: work harder, faster, be more diligent?  Very frustrating...but really, I'm ok with not working much, the only problem being that if there is no time scheduled, there in no income.