Yesterday afternoon, I assigned an envelope-stuffing project to the newbie. It was a very straightforward assignment.  Place a copy of a letter into an envelope and mail it to the property homeowner.  Place a photocopy of the letter into the property's file for our records.  Cross the name off of the list.  She asked how much of it she had to do, which is never a good sign.  I glanced over the list of addresses, which was three pages long.  Not too bad.  I told her to at least complete the first page of addresses, and we could finish the other two pages the next day.

This morning I come in. She's done less than half of the first page. She hasn't "finished" the envelopes by sealing and stamping them. And at a quick glance, I spot at least three that have been done incorrectly - it's being sent to the renter, not the homeowner - and will have to be fixed.  She left a note that said she didn't know how to use the postage meter, which made me want to smack her upside the head.  WHY DIDN'T SHE CALL ME?  I made sure she had my phone number before she left, and asked her twice to please call if she had any questions.

A quick glance at the computer reveals that she spent at least part of the evening working on homework and shopping for shoes at Payless. Which I don't mind AS LONG AS THE WORK GETS DONE.  But I couldn't believe that she'd neglect to complete the bare minimum of an assignment - her predecessors not only would have completed the first page, but they would have gone on and finished as much as possible.  Granted, I've never worked as a temp, but I would assume they'd want to make a good impression as a hard worker so that they will be hired on as a full employee.  (Also, if you're going to goof off instead of work, you should have the common sense to clear the browsing history!)

I'll definitely have to talk to  her when she comes in, but I don't yet know whether I'll mention this to my boss.  I mean, there are some other minor issues with her, like the fact that newbie is NEVER early to her shift, but either exactly on time or a few minutes late. Individually, I'd let them slide, but collectively there are enough problems that I think I'm going to have to say something.