Three Weeks into New Job

I am in my third week at my new job.  So far, I am enjoying it.  Everyone is really nice.  Thankfully, there is not a lot of gossip, nor are there any rude people to deal with.  Overall, I work with great people. 

 

There is a completely different work environment than I am used to.  I have experience working in customer service.  I now work as an Office Assistant/Call Center Representative.  We work in “customer care.”  The office environment is laid back but still professional because we are in the public eye.

 

The attire is business casual and Fridays being Casual Friday.  We can wear blue jeans and sneakers.  Sandals are allowed.  I was told that “flip flops” are not allowed but have seen people wear them.  I only have a few pairs of shoes to wear for work, so I try to rotate them as they fit my outfit.  I have a few sandals that I have received from doing product reviews.  I hope to add them to my work attire. 

 

A lot of my co-workers wear dresses or skirts.  I have not been brave enough to add dresses or skirts to my wardrobe.  I have just enough clothes to last a full work week.  I do hope to add new outfits every so often to build my business casual attire. 

Start new job tomorrow

I am excited to start my new job tomorrow.  I picked out the outfit I am going to wear and gathered everything together that I want to bring. 

I am going to wear a black top, black pants, black shoes. 

I am bringing a tote bag with some snacks, my benefits papers that I need to turn in and a bottle of water. 

This afternoon, we drove by the building again just to locate the parking lot that I am assigned to.  I am unsure if there is a special door that I need to use.  For the first day, I am just going to try the front door.  Hopefully the doors won't be locked. 

Basic clothes for work

The last two days were spent finding clothes for my new job.  I now have a handful of blouses and trouser socks.  Thankfully, I already have pants to wear.  I also bought two new wireless bras that I plan on wearing at night. 

After shopping at Kohl's the last two days, I do not plan on going there again anytime soon.  They are a little pricey.  They are just as expensive as a department store in the mall! 

Paperwork and more

Shannon's boss called yesterday and gave him additional hours this week.  He had to work for about an hour this morning, just long enough to train for that particular work site. 

This morning, I went to Human Resources to fill out a few forms and they gave me the benefits package to read through and fill out the forms to bring back later.  They also sent me to get my drug screening done.  Thankfully, I only waited about 15 minutes to take the test. 

Pending my background check and drug screening, I should hear from Human Resources or my new boss on a start date. 

Full Shift Tonight!

Shannon worked all day yesterday.  He worked at least 11 or 12 hours yesterday at both jobs.  He worked a little over 3 hours at Best Buy for orientation and then he went straight to the other job for security. 

He had to go in today for the security supervisor position to get his badge, the necessary shots and additional tests!  He works a full shift tonight too!  He works 11pm until 7am. 

Big day tomorrow!

Shannon has a big day tomorrow.  He has orientation at Best Buy.  They estimate his orientation to last between 3 1/2 to 4 hours.  He also has to work his other job as security at the college football game.  The game doesn't start until 7pm but they usually have them come in 3 hours before the game starts.  As soon as he's done with his orientation, he has to go straight to the security job and work until after the game is over.  He will be working for at least 10-11 hours tomorrow at both jobs. 

He will also start training for his security supervisor job on Friday!  He has to report to work at 7:45 AM! 

It will be nice to start receiving regular paychecks! 

Next Thursday!

It turns out that his Best Buy orientation is next Thursday! 

We are still waiting for him to start his security supervisor job!  They called earlier this week to confirm some information and said the orientation should be in about a week!  I can't believe that job is taking almost 3 weeks to start!

When can he start?!

Well, he was hired at Best Buy last week.  Now we're just waiting for them to call about a start date.  It's just frustrating because we need him to start earning a regular paycheck!  His other job is only 3 or 4 days a month, sometimes less. 

We are being charged $3 every so often from our bank because we don't have enough in our savings.  It's called a "overdraft protection" charge or something like that.  It's just annoying that we are being charged, even though we don't have enough money in the first place.  I told Shannon that when he got hired at his first job that we should go open an account with a credit union, but that never happened.  If we are members of a credit union, they won't charge us because we don't have enough in the bank. 

Groceries

We went to Walmart today for groceries.  At checkout, our bank card was denied for insufficient funds.  Luckily, Shannon had a credit card from his other bank. 

I just hate having to use my EE Bonds for most of this year to help support the family.  Although, I am glad that this past summer, Shannon finally realized he needs to look for work. 

We're just waiting for him to start at Best Buy.  He was hired yesterday and took the drug test.  We're hoping they will have him start soon! 

His other job called offering him another position for full time, but the pay was low.  They wanted to offer him this full time job because the supervisor job won't start for another week or so!    He had to turn down the full time job because he was just hired at Best Buy. 

He got the job!

Shannon got the job at Best Buy!  They had him fill out the paperwork and then go take the drug test.  The job is only part time, two to three days a week.  They are starting him at $2 more an hour than the starting pay! 

Interview at Best Buy

Shannon still hasn't heard back from his currently employer about his supervisor job that he was hired for.  Last Monday, he went in for the drug test and TB test.  He was told by the doctor that he passed the TB test and he doesn't do drugs, so he passed that. 

Last night, Best Buy called to schedule an interview.  He had applied for the job about 2 or 3 weeks ago!  He called them back this afternoon and has an interview tomorrow! 

He got the job!

Shannon had to work today.  While he was gone, it gave me a chance to do laundry, clean and do some reading!

He had an interview earlier this week for a security supervisor position.  The position is part time and he would be in charge of 8 different sections!  He is still coughing and not feeling well, especially when he went into interview.  When he got back from his interview, he was sure he didn't do that well!

Today, when he reported for work, the HR lady gave him a piece of paper indicating he had to go in for a drug test, etc.  They offered him the position!  We're not sure of the exact pay, but we have a range.

Started working

Earlier this week, Shannon received a call from his new employer [the contract security company] asking if he's available to work this weekend.  It is good to finally have some hours.  He also works next Saturday.  He is going to let them know that he can also work in Greensboro/Triad area, instead of just Winston Salem.  They said that the people in Greensboro need help because some of them are getting upwards of 60+ hours a week.  He's going to let them know that he's available full time, and hopefully that will lead to more hours.

This weekend, we found out that he did not get the job at the college.  In a way, I am glad because it is a graveyard position and I honestly didn't see him doing the hours or the job itself.  It would really limit us as a family because I prefer all of us to be on the same sleep schedule.

We've been talking about Shannon having a cell phone.  We have to wait until he gets more hours at work before we can actually buy one.  It would be good for him to have one, especially since his employer will call with shifts that are available.  He would also need a cell phone to carry at work.

It's NOT Saturday?

Shannon and I thought today was Saturday!  I guess we were so excited for him to start training for his new job.  We didn't realize it was Friday until I went to update my blog and was checking the date to schedule a post. 

This weekend, he has training to obtain his license.  In NC, you need to have a security license in order to work in security.  Unfortunately, we have to pay for this training, but it will pay off. 

We are still waiting to hear whether or not they are going to hire him full time.  Either way, he will have a job with this company. 

Next Week's Schedule

The new schedule for next week was posted.  I am disappointed because I was under the impression that I was part time and I would be working 2 to 3 days a week.  Instead, I am working 5 days next week with a total of about 27.52 hours!  Three of those days are full 7-8 hour days!  Although, I am hoping it's just a "fluke" because my department manager is on vacation next week and 2 cashiers are quitting (I was hired to cover one of them).  I think they hired another cashier already, but I am not too sure. 

I am worried about working alone, but I will have a back up person to help.  This place is not like Walmart where I would have other cashiers around to ask for help.  They have one person covering each "cashwrap," which is where you can checkout.  Each cashwrap has 4 registers. 

I think I am learning everything that I can learn on the job, but there will still be instances where I will need help.  Everyone seems really nice.

I am optimistic about the County job that I applied for.  I am hoping to get called for an interview. 

I received a response from another company that offers speech therapy and occupational therapy.  They are in the next town, so it's not too far.  They want us to call to set up an evaluation for Kyle.  I am thinking of having Shannon call to set up an appointment since I will be working so much next week.  I also have to call the Social Security office to apply for SSI for Kyle, but I may have to have Shannon do that as well.  It's that time for us to re-new our Medicaid for Kyle and I am unsure if we will qualify.  Thanks to the big chunk we received from Uncle Sam from our tax return, we may have too much in our bank account to qualify.  However, when I return the forms with our bank statements, I will include a note stating where the money came from with proof from the deposit.  I am unsure if our tax returns will count against us in this case.  If we lose Medicaid, I am hoping we get approved for SSI for Kyle because that money will be used to pay for his speech and occupational therapy.

Third Day

Today was my third day at work!  I was surprised that I finished my computer training.  There was a whole section that I couldn't do.  I did as much as I could, but I was unable to do most of the section because it was all quizzes. 

I work tomorrow for 4 hours and I chose 1pm to 5pm again.  I will be on the sales floor tomorrow!  Hopefully I'll just be watching a cashier do the job and she can walk me through what she is doing. 

Kyle has a doctor's appointment on Thursday.  We set this appointment in March or April.  He's going to see a behaviorialist.  I think they are going to diagnose him or give him a label, hopefully.  They had us fill out a 6 page survey about Kyle and also wanted his teacher to fill one out too.  I am curious as to what they are going to say.  The doctor's office is about an hour away so we're going to leave early for it. 

Second day at work

Today was my second day at my new job.  I spent my 4 hour shift doing more computer training.  There is a total of 20 hours of computer training.  I am not even half way done! 

Before my shift and during my break, I did some shopping to look for clothes I could wear for work.  I did see some pants and socks that I wanted to look at further.  I also looked at bras but decided to hold off for now.  I could always get my bras at Walmart.  After my shift, I found 2 pairs of black pants that actually fit.  They are size 4!  I wasn't sure what my size was so I grabbed size 6 first and when those were too big, I went to size 4 and thankfully they fit!  I also bought 3 pairs of black socks.  Apparently, I wear "plus size socks" because I had to buy socks that fit my shoe size.  LOL  I never thought I would wear "plus size" anything!!!

I have to work tomorrow for 4 hours and I am also supposed to find my department manager for my schedule for the rest of the week.

My First Day!

Yesterday was my first day at my new job at Sears!  I definitely liked the short shift of 4 hours that I had.  Right now, I am doing computer training.  I had to sign a few more documents as well.  I was also given a temporary discount card to use until I receive my discount card in the mail.  They scheduled me for two more days for training and both days are only 4 hour shifts!

After I was off, I went over to JC Penney's to look for more clothes for work and was disappointed because I couldn't find anything that I liked.  As for pants, size 6 was way too big and size 4 was too snug!  Maybe that means I have to go into the junior sizes, instead of the misses/ladies section.  As for the tops, the ones I tried on were too thin and see through!  I also went to Belk, which is another department store in the mall and I didn't see anything that I liked.  I think I will have better luck at Walmart, I like the prices and variety.  Otherwise, I will shop at Sears for clothes since I get a discount.  I also realized that wearing white and black tops are not my colors!  LOL 

While I was at work, Shannon moved our bed to the middle room which was Kyle's playroom and/or our "living room."  It's a bigger room and it also has a television.  I used this room to workout while Kyle used the computer to play his games.  Kyle even helped Shannon push the mattresses over to this room.  I think he loved helping!

When Shannon dropped me off of work yesterday, he said that Kyle started crying a little bit and saying "momma momma" over and over again when they got home.  When he opened the car door for Kyle to get out, Kyle started walking down the driveway and Shannon had to direct him into the house!  That's when he started crying and saying "momma momma" over and over.  When I saw them parked in the parking lot to pick me up, I waved to them and as I got closer to the car, I saw the biggest smile on Kyle's face!  He was sitting on his daddy's lap in the front seat and he was getting up to go into the back seat.  He just froze and smiled at me!  When I got up to the car, I just waved at him and he kept smiling at me. 

I am still not too thrilled with the pay, but it's better than nothing at all.  I definitely like having a discount card to use.  I will have to figure out Kyle's clothes sizes because Sears sizes stop at 4T and Kyle would fit into 5T.  I guess that means I have to shop in the boys section, instead of the toddler boys section for him. The boys clothes would be too big for him.  There is a clearance section of boys clothes that are marked at 40% off plus with my discount there would be additional percentage off.  I could stock up but I don't think we have the room for it at home.

I start a new job today!

I got the job at Sears and I start training today.  I have no idea how long I will be there, I was just left a voicemail by the lady in personnel that I should be there at 2pm today.  Although she never specified, I am hoping it's just computer training.

If I get off early enough, I plan on doing a little shopping at JC Penney's for some work clothes.  Hopefully I can find the right colors.  I need more clothes since we only do laundry once a week.  I am looking forward to working at a place that actually closes each day.  In the last 10 years, I haven't worked in a place that closes!  The jobs I've had in the last 10 years were at hotels and casinos, and Walmart!  Hotels and casinos never close, and Walmart only closes once a year!

I am also looking forward to getting out of the house every once in awhile.  Since Kyle has been out of preschool for the summer, he's been attached to my hip.  He doesn't like to leave my side.  If I leave the room, he has to follow.  My time away from home will give him some time with his Daddy!

I told Shannon that I want to get two new toys for Kyle.  One of them is Mr. Potato Head and the other is legos!  Mr. Potato Head can teach him the different parts of the face and body.  We can use that to show him where his eyes and ears are.  I also want legos so that Kyle and I can have something to play with.  He doesn't really like playing with toys, he'd rather hang around us.  Legos are colorful and I think he'll like putting them together and taking them apart.

Snow and No School

We had plenty of snow over the weekend, we got about 8 inches. They canceled school for Monday and all the city, state, and county offices are closed as well. There are a few more snow storms in the forecast for this week! School may be canceled this whole week, from the looks of it.

Kyle is sick. All day yesterday he had the sniffles, sneezing, and stuffy nose. A few hours after he fell asleep last night, he woke up to coughing and coughing up liquid. I could hear it when he tried to swallow that it wanted to come back up! He had to struggle just to swallow.

I finally got a little more insight from Shannon, regarding his training. From what he was telling me, his training isn't anything special. I just wasn't seeing the point of him being out of state to do "on the job" training! He wasn't doing any special corporate training or specific training that needed to be done only in Kansas City. He's not in any meetings or training courses with corporate people either. The other new managers are tired of working 10 hours a day cleaning rooms. All the training they got was watching an instructional video and follow a check list on cleaning a room. There is also one manager saying he wants to quit once he gets back to North Carolina. It just sounds like all this "training" could have been done close to home, instead of spending hundreds of dollars per manager to fly them out there AND keeping them from their families for 12 days!!! Not only that, they had them work on Saturday, so they only had ONE day off last week!!!!

Shannon was able to get a month off from school. This will give him one less thing to worry about while he is training and we are finding a place/moving.