Some relevant background: I'm a temp and I started my current assignment at the height of the pandemic when everything in the U.S. began to close (March). They needed inventory help and to give equipment like laptops, hotspots, and phones to people going to work from home. Some time in May they heard of a buyback program where if they sent back 1,000 phones they would receive what I'm guessing is a good amount of money. The catch is that this needs to be completed by the end of August. They set up a project to get 1,000 users to return and exchange phones for newer ones. Currently we have only done 53 as we are only able to do this project once a week (contractual reasons). Needless to say we definitely aren't going to make 1,000. I'm not sure who decided it would be a good idea to invite 1,000 people to stop by in large groups to exchange phones in the middle of a pandemic when 80% of the workforce is working from home. People are either too busy, live too far away, are on vacation, or declining for health reasons. Some are just plain ignoring us and I can't blame them.
Yesterday I found out that I came in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. The policy is to let the job know and quarantine for 2 weeks or until you receive a negative test result. I told my job and they were trying to get me to keep working because they have reached desperation mode with the project. [They are trying to force hundreds of people to come in the next few weeks so they can make the deadline but people aren't coming for the reasons stated above.] In order for them to even let me leave for the day they made me call my doctor, who confirmed that anyone in contact with a positive person should self isolate. They told me it was "my call" to make, basically trying to put me in a situation where I was made to seem like I didn't want to work. Meanwhile I'm worried about mine and my family's damn health.
I called my recruiter who was shocked that they told me to continue working and stated the isolation policy. She told me to isolate and that she'd handle my dept. I had to call her again because my co-workers have been repeatedly calling and leaving me voicemails asking about the project even though I emailed them all the information I had before I left. I was trying to call testing places because I care about my health more than a failing project. My recruiter had to tell my dept that they need to stop calling me as I'm on a specific leave for virus situations and that it counts as work when I have to answer my coworkers.
I'm disappointed and angry that this dept is prioritizing this buyback program over health. My state is one of the hot spots right now and trying to force people to come en masse just so they can sell back phones is disgraceful, in my opinion. I'm even more upset because of how they wouldn't let me leave yesterday and basically made me feel like I was doing something wrong by following the rules. Not to mention constantly calling me while I am trying to get myself tested, as though finding out I could potentially have this virus isn't stressful enough. I now wonder how many people in this department may have been coerced into continuing to come into work when being positive or knowing they could be. Overall not happy right now.
Yesterday I found out that I came in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. The policy is to let the job know and quarantine for 2 weeks or until you receive a negative test result. I told my job and they were trying to get me to keep working because they have reached desperation mode with the project. [They are trying to force hundreds of people to come in the next few weeks so they can make the deadline but people aren't coming for the reasons stated above.] In order for them to even let me leave for the day they made me call my doctor, who confirmed that anyone in contact with a positive person should self isolate. They told me it was "my call" to make, basically trying to put me in a situation where I was made to seem like I didn't want to work. Meanwhile I'm worried about mine and my family's damn health.
I called my recruiter who was shocked that they told me to continue working and stated the isolation policy. She told me to isolate and that she'd handle my dept. I had to call her again because my co-workers have been repeatedly calling and leaving me voicemails asking about the project even though I emailed them all the information I had before I left. I was trying to call testing places because I care about my health more than a failing project. My recruiter had to tell my dept that they need to stop calling me as I'm on a specific leave for virus situations and that it counts as work when I have to answer my coworkers.
I'm disappointed and angry that this dept is prioritizing this buyback program over health. My state is one of the hot spots right now and trying to force people to come en masse just so they can sell back phones is disgraceful, in my opinion. I'm even more upset because of how they wouldn't let me leave yesterday and basically made me feel like I was doing something wrong by following the rules. Not to mention constantly calling me while I am trying to get myself tested, as though finding out I could potentially have this virus isn't stressful enough. I now wonder how many people in this department may have been coerced into continuing to come into work when being positive or knowing they could be. Overall not happy right now.
