A few weeks ago I was at a meeting and across the table I glimpsed a smile I thought I recognized. Sure enough—an old friend I had lost track of years ago. She was working in our office as a temp, and this is the first time our paths had crossed. We chatted for a bit and caught up on things, and then she was gone.

Photo credit: iStock

As temporary workers make up an increasingly larger share of our workforce (it’s not just the front desk anymore) and hold positions at companies for longer periods of time—sometimes for years, I got to wondering what it’s like to be a temp worker. Is it horrible and stressful because there are no benefits and no security? Or is it fun and fancy free with lots of variety and minimal commitment? So I decided to ask. Here is the perspective of one temp worker:

Liz: How long have you been a temp worker?

T.W.: I’ve been a temp worker for years.

Liz: How many temp jobs have you had?

T.W.: I’ve had 2 temp jobs and 5 other interviews for temp positions, but I have spent the majority of my time in one position.

Liz: Do you get benefits? Ever?

T.W.: The staffing company I work for didn’t offer benefits directly. They did recommend a short term coverage plan (180 days at a time, catastrophic coverage only) that I had to pay out-of-pocket.

Liz: What’s the best thing about temp work?

T.W.: The best thing about temping is having a job. Looking for jobs these days can be very depressing. There just isn’t a whole lot out there right now so it’s nice to earn some kind of income in the meantime.

Liz: What’s the worst?

T.W.: There are a lot of things that aren’t great about temping. Lack of benefits, lower pay, status in the company; but I think most temps would say the worst part is the uncertainty that the job brings. At anytime you could be let go. Most of the time the jobs have a defined time period so you are able to plan a little bit, but even then things can change and you can be gone pretty quickly.

Liz: Why did you start temping? Was it more desperation or inspiration?

T.W.: Definitely not inspiration. I was frustrated looking for work and didn’t think I had a lot of options. A friend of mine suggested I give temporary employment a shot, while I was still looking. The temp agency worked really fast for me so I stuck with it for a while. 

Liz: What would you like employers to know—from the temp point of view?

T.W.: Be very upfront with us about the expectations of us and the situation we are in. Don’t sugarcoat future employment status. If there is no chance of full-time employment in the future, make that clear. 

Liz: What about your co-workers in the office(s) where you temp: Any message for them?

T.W.: I think most temps are probably overqualified for the work they are doing. I think the reason someone temps may be a little misunderstood. It’s not like I aspired to be a temporary employee, it just kind of happened. All the other temps I’ve met are really smart and driven people. It’s understandable that there is a stigma to being a temp employee, but the reason I am temping is not because I’m unemployable, I just took a different route to get a foot in the door.

I’ve actually really enjoyed most of my time as a temp. I’ve experienced a lot of different types of work and work environments. I would say, despite the challenges, in a transitional or emergency situation, temporary employment is a great alternative to no employment at all.

Summer: Time for good food fresh from the farm (or farmer’s market). It’s the easiest time to eat local, healthy food. A new campaign has just launched, focusing on the importance of healthy eating. I asked Amy Lopez, our impact manager in the hunger area, to answer a few questions about this new push for healthy eating.

Liz: What is “Eat Well to be Well”?

Amy: Eat Well to Be Well is a public awareness campaign targeting adults age 60+. The campaign was created by the Twin Cities Hunger Initiative, a community initiative that is striving to reduce and end hunger in the Twin Cities.

The campaign’s purpose is to inform seniors about the positive benefits of food stamps. The goals include:

• To educate the community about food support (food stamps).
• To dispel myths around food support.
• To increase access to information about the food support program.
• To increase participation, especially among the working poor and older adults.

Liz: Why are you specifically targeting older adults?

Amy: The economy has been rough on everyone, but older adults and retirees are caught in a tighter financial bind than most of us. The loss of investment wealth, rising costs of healthcare, housing costs and increased food costs all impact those on limited incomes drastically.

• 75,000 Minnesotans are age 60 and above and have incomes at or near poverty ($18,213/year for a family of two)
• The USDA finds that one in five low-income households with seniors report “food insecurity” or hunger: They do not have consistent access to enough food for active, healthy lives.

Better nutrition is a key to healthy aging. Maintaining one’s independence is critically important to older adults; research confirms independence is tied to mental and physical well-being. Poor nutrition, or skipping meals due to budget concerns, will derail independence.

Not eating enough healthy foods can result in increased frailty, more falls and broken bones, more illnesses, and more frequent and longer hospital visits. All of these mean reduced independence.

Liz: What are some of the most important foods for people—and older adults in particular—to eat?

Healthy foods as identified in the USDA food pyramid like grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, milk and beans.

Liz: What is SNAP?

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a federal nutrition program. Minnesota refers to SNAP as “food support,” otherwise known as food stamps. Hunger Solutions Minnesota has started a Minnesota Food Help Line to determine eligibility for the food stamp program and to provide application assistance.

Liz: What resources are available for older people who are having a tough time making ends meet and sometimes end up choosing between their meds and a nutritious meal?

Amy: Older adults (and those caring for them) should be aware of food support available. Some myths exist about allowable income to qualify for the program, so it’s worth checking out. Older adults are the largest qualifying segment that underutilizes this benefit.

• In 2009, older adults (age 60+) who qualified for SNAP received an average of $111 in food support per month. This goes a long way toward purchasing healthy, nutritious food.
• The asset limit has been raised to $7,000 and does not include vehicles.
• IRAs and tax-preferred retirement accounts are counted as assets.

Homebound older adults or their caregivers can determine their eligibility for the program by applying over the phone.

For more information about Food Support (food stamps) call Hunger Solutions‘ Minnesota Food Help Line at 1-888-711-1151. To locate the food shelf closest to you, call 2-1-1. To order materials for the Eat Well to Be Well Campaign, contact the Minnesota Institute of Public Health, 763-427-5310 Ext. 126.

The Washington Post recently published an excellent article on dating violence and “textual harassment,” the specific form of stalking via text messaging.

Text messaging has made sexual harassment ever so much easier, making the harassment even more persistent and constant. No breaks. No safe time.

And while abusive texting is a big part of the problem, it’s not the only technology abusers abuse: email, phone, and also (newer) through Facebook and other social networking sites.

But there is an upside with the technology as well. It offers strong evidence of the abuse and is being used in courts to assist in conviction.

More important, it can be used for good as well as ill, as reported in a Strib story published on the same day—the story of a woman who used text messaging to call for assistance while she was being sexually assaulted and chased around the house.

The article also references the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey data indicating that 9.8% of high school students have experienced dating violence (hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the last 12 months); and 7.4% report being physically forced to have sexual intercourse.

Closer to home, the Minnesota Student Survey (we don’t participate in the YRBSS) has similar rates, using somewhat broader definitions of violence.

As you can see—the likelihood of both dating and sexual violence increases with age (no surprise there) and girls are about twice as likely to experience dating violence and sexual violence compared to boys.

What’s to be done?

• Educate yourself about violence prevention.
• Be aware of the warning signs.
• If you’re a parent, make sure your children know the warning signs.
• Don’t be silent about the issue.
• Learn more.

At a broader level, find out about United Way’s work to end domestic violence.

Dave Ellis, United Way Impact Manager, Domestic Violence

Today’s blog post is an interview with Dave Ellis, our Domestic Violence Impact Manager who was also involved in PeaceJam over the weekend.

Liz: What is PeaceJam?

Dave: PeaceJam is a Youth Leadership program of youthrive—the Upper Midwest Affiliate of PeaceJam International. PeaceJam engages youth leaders from Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa with a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate that the youth have studied using the PeaceJam curriculum. Each featured Laureate focuses on a specific theme relating to an important global issue. The event combines learning sessions on peace building in schools and communities, discussions with Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, and a host of hands-on service-learning activities in a selected community. At the PeaceJam conference, participants talk about service-learning projects that they have carried out in their local communities.

The theme this year was Healing Communities Torn by Racism and Violence.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Rigoberta Menchu Tum of Guatemala

There were 600 youth involved, completing more than 15 service projects over the weekend in the host community of South Minneapolis. They also presented more than 50 projects they had worked on in their local communities to featured Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum from Guatemala. The service projects represented all 10 of Greater Twin Cities United Way’s goal areas as well as Diversity and Inclusion.

Liz: When does it happen?

Dave: PeaceJam is a year-round program that begins in November with PeaceJam Slam, hits its midpoint in the spring with PeaceJam Conference, and wraps up in the fall at the Slam.

Liz: Where does it happen?

Dave: It happens at the University of Minnesota and in the community. Programming at the U of M includes family groups and service-learning projects.

Liz: What were you most pleased with from this year’s event?

Dave: There is a fantastic mural on the corner of 25^th Street and Chicago Ave. S. that was done by the youth.

Peace Jam mural at 25th St. and Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis

Liz: What surprised you?

Dave: That an agency with only two paid staff can pull of an event like this every year for the past 12 years (with many volunteers). The conference this year was twice as large as previous PeaceJams.

Quarterly Economic Pulse - April 2010

The most recent edition of the Quarterly Economic Pulse has just been released.

There are glimmers of hope. Unemployment has probably peaked (though all of those discouraged workers out there could re-enter the labor market—which is a good thing—and drive the unemployment rate up a bit further, which is generally viewed as not such a good thing). People are saving more (good for community stability) and they’re paying down their debt (good for individual stability).

But we still have eight unemployed workers for each job opening, poverty is growing in the suburbs even faster than in the central cities, and the suburbs are now home to the lion’s share of low-income people. (See Brookings report for more detail on suburban poverty). Consumer confidence remains low, and will probably stay that way until the job market improves.

Housing sales are increasing, and there are still a lot of foreclosed properties on the market, keeping housing prices low (which also makes housing more affordable). Median sales price for a Twin Cities house in February was $159,000. One in six Minnesotans owe more on their homes than they are worth. One in three Minnesota students are eligible for free or reduced price school lunch.

So, we’re starting to emerge from the recession but we still have a long way to go, and a lot of people will be facing hard times for the foreseeable future.