What a difference.

I've now worked two days in this new assignment, and the difference in atmosphere and attitude between this site and the assignment I just left is incredible. The phrase "polar opposites" springs to mind,

It's not just the perks, either (including free coffee and tea, free bagels and soft pretzels, a weekly dry-cleaning pickup/delivery on site, a gym). It's the ATTITUDE of the people.

For example, I nearly tripped yesterday... I didn't even really lose my balance, but I just had an awkward-misstep moment. The receptionist, who witnessed my brief tussle with gravity, asked immediately if I was OK. Meanwhile, at Harridan Hall, a few days before I left, it became known that one of the permanent workers was in the HOSPITAL; the news was greeted with "Oh" by other coworkers, including permanent ones.

Just from looking around the office building, I can see that workers HERE consider this place a "home away from home". People here fill their cubicles with personal mementoes of every sort. I'm still a temp, borrowing the cubicle of someone who's out on medical leave, a fact of which I'm reminded every time I look up and see someone else's family pics looking back at me. But I've been a temp using other people's work space for two years now; I find that the more people want to make their desk/cubicle into THEIR space, the better the morale is in a given place. So far I haven't seen ONE cubicle here without a personal touch in it somewhere, and many of the cubes and offices are adorned with numerous reminders of the employee's personal life. I like that. It's a good sign.