Today is my one-year anniversary of being employed at my company as a direct employee instead of a temporary contract employee.  I didn’t even remember that it was today until I opened up my calendar to see if I have any appointments or meetings today (nothing, by the way) and there was the note that I had dropped in there months and months ago.  One year today!  It’s a wonderful thing.

Before being hired on directly, I worked for the company as a temp through an outside employment agency.  And maybe they’re great in other areas and for other companies and other situations, but for the two and a half years that I was employed by them, I wasn’t at all impressed.  I never got an increase in pay.  My pay rate was dreadful.  I had no sick days.  Holidays were accrued after a year of employment, as was vacation.  And if I took the vacation (like when I took the week off for my honeymoon), I lost the accruement for holidays.  And just knowing that my position at the company was that much more tentative because I was a temp made me feel terribly insignificant and insecure.

But one year ago today, I was hired on as a direct employee instead of a temp.  I got a boost in pay of about 30%.  I got holidays and vacation and sick time!  I got health insurance!   Wonderful, beautiful health insurance.  And a 401(k).  And the respect and stability of a position within the company.  It came with more responsibilities and work and expectations, but I was thrilled to have the opportunities.

Right now, we’re filling out employee performance reviews to evaluate our performance and whether or not we’re going to get a raise in the coming year.  I’m secure in the knowledge that even if I do poorly on my review, I’m going to at least get a small raise.  But my review isn’t going to go poorly.  And I am going to get a raise.

If the company has been doing well and we’ve been meeting our goals as a group, we’ll get a bonus before the end of the year.  And the company has been doing well (as well as can be expected) and we’ve been meeting our goals like champs, so I’m going to be able to get this bonus check this year.  I didn’t get it last year because I was too new of an employee, but it was the third such check I had seen distributed to the direct employees and missed out on.  This year, I get to take one of those home with me.  (Or, actually, have it directly deposited into my checking account, but you get the idea.)

But even without the benefits and the bonuses, which are enormously lovely, I am so much happier at my job than I was when I was a temp.  I feel more secure as a direct employee.  I feel like they give me more responsibilities as a direct employee.  I definitely have more respect from the company as a direct employee.  I have more opportunities to expand my knowledge and to explore possibilities in my position and other areas that interest me.  I feel like the company cares that I’m here and wants to help me grow.  And being in an environment like that is refreshing.

Happy anniversary to me!