I walked into what we’ll charitably call my “contract” job this morning to find an email asking me to submit to a background check. I cheerfully responded to the HR department that I work through an agency and thought this was an error. A moment after I sent the email, the phone at my desk – that I never use – rang. It was the woman to whom I replied. She told me that I’d been hired and needed to submit to a drug test and background check. What? I told her I hadn’t heard about this. Evidently, she’d jumped the gun. I called my agency and they said they’d only heard about it ten minutes earlier.

I was immediately perturbed. Perturbed that this decision sort of bypassed me. Like they just decided to hire me. Like I’d consented already. When I’ve left my agency in the past to become a contract employee directly for a company, it has not turned out well. And now, when I’m only just learning about and appreciating my independence, to have the company sort of “forget” to talk to me about the job they’ve decided to give me irritated me.

Eventually, my manager came to speak to me about it and she was disturbed that HR had jumped the gun and told me about it. The job is the same as what I have now – part time – but a little more money. There doesn’t seem to be a difference (excepting the drug testing, background checking and orientation). Only now, when I’m ready to quit, I’ll have to quit to the company rather than calling my agency having them do my dirty work for me.

Supposedly, I’m due to receive an offer letter. We’ll see what it says.