Back On The Employment Line
Was my first day at work at the pharmaceutical company yesterday. A quite surprising day too, actually – not quite what I’d imagined it would be.
Was wearing dark blue uniform and realized skirt was a bit on the tight side that had tremendous difficulty climbing up to my dad’s car in the morning when he dropped me off. Agonized about having to spend all day sitting in front of computer wearing really tight skirt, unable to fold legs on top of another or secretly spreading them out behind desk in manner of guy-inviting-girls-to-have-sex-style. Anyway, turned out working environment was like top-secret underground laboratorium-style sort of place, with sterile uniforms and different areas that require completely different, if not layered, other sets of uniforms.
Uniform was great, though. Was roomy cotton top with hood (to go over sterile areas to prevent hair falling and latching onto medicinal stuff, probably), cotton slacks with elastic waist band and rubber foamy shoes. Could spread out as much as want. Really felt like on set of ER or something.
Once inside safe area, was actually perfectly fine to take hoods off and there were rooms in different sizes and shapes all connected and disentangled together – some with computers and desks like normal offices and others with strange biopharmaceutical equipment and big glass tubes and massive fridges and people sieving white powder (!) and stuff. Each walls were see-thru with windows on so really felt like was working in wide open space and everyone could see what others were doing – in and outside.
But due to importance of sterility, could not have drinks on own table – must go to drinking area and even then only thing could drink was water because drinking area turned out to be small 2 x 4 m room with a water dispenser and small cupboard for people to put their plastic cups in. With their initials written on each. So coffee was definitely out of the question, let alone munching on snacks while working. Only thing could bring was inedible stuff, such as CDs, books, documents, files etc. Make up, jewellery and watches were not permitted too.
All of the areas were practically non-smoking. In fact, didn’t even recall seeing the security guard outside smoking smokedeesmoke. Wonder whether owner of company was secretly obsessed with making their workers living over-rated healthy lifestyles.
Apart from that, the food was great. There was a canteen and food amount was huge, varied and we even got fruit and chocolate milk. Chocolate milk!
Only thing that was slightly bothering was sounds of alarm ringing continuously in “Fur Elise” warning people that lunch time had started/finished and the last lunch shift was greeted by ear-deafening noise similar to that of a fire alarm. Was quite dazed to the fact that no one seemed to notice this; all eating their food slowly and talked and chewed as if the fire alarm was just in own head. Was giving “what-the-fuck-is-going-on” stares to another new co-worker who was really freaked out too, and someone next to me piped out, “You’ll get used to it.” Was relieved didn’t straight away think there actually was a fire happening.
Anyway, what a bizarre place to work.
2 comments
the place you work in sounds cool… like those in CSI moviess.. don’t drink too much chocolate milkk.. hehehe ntar jadi bolaa!! i’m so happy for you ther..
did i mention that the absency is done with a finger-scanning machine??? it’s crazy…heheheh…i’m so happy too, being amongst intelligent people for a change!! mmmmm chocolate milk…i had another one today…