GatewayRedbirds.com

So, two months ago a temp agency sent us this lady. She is just north of 30 years old I think, has 5 kids - 3 of which were taken away by the state at one point, a hundred million tattoos, a crazy southern accent and a pretty sizeable rap sheet due to drugs. I think came from a broken/abusive childhood and a [expletive] situation in general. Anyway, we needed a receptionist/admin type person and the temp agency said she would be perfect though she had a past.

She came clean from the get go about her past and just basically said she appreciated the opportunity and wasn't going to let anyone down, including herself...yada yada yada She's been clean for 3 years. Just got married to a great guy. Wants to be a productive person. Yada yada yada, so it was fine.

She has been awesome and done a really good job, gotten along with everyone and not only understood what a bunch of engineers were saying they needed but also able to provide it. So, friday they offered her a permanent position. I don't know $$, but it was a raise, insurance, benefits, 401K, etc. She was so happy she started crying (Friday morning) and hadn't quit by the time she left (at 4).

It was really nice to see someone that was so happy to be a functioning part of society, probably for the first time in her life. Restored a little bit of faith i had lost in humanity.

That's awesome! I love to hear stories like that. I have a guy that works here that is similar. He used to be a drunk, into drugs, has jailhouse tats, etc. If you'd look at him you'd think he's pretty rough. However around 8 years ago (before I was here) he started working here, learned the trade and has completely turned his life around. He's married with kids now and a great productive citizen, not to mention one hell of a stone carver.

The world needs to here more turn around and success stories and less Casey Anthonies and the like.

Cool thread, AW.

very cool indeed.

Surely this is a mistake. Our socioeconomic system victimizes people to such an extent that they cannot help themselves.

Seriously, great story about a person who sounds like she just grabbed her bootstraps and started pulling, with some help from your company.

Fakkin A, man. Your company is great. Glad she's workin out for you.

Seriously, great story about a person who sounds like she just grabbed her bootstraps and started pulling...

Yeah. It is very nice to see her doing well and to be so happy about it.

Maclowery wrote:Fakkin A, man. Your company is great. Glad she's workin out for you.

Ha. This wasn't a handout. (See the comment above) She has been doing specification formatting for us, along with all the busy work we normally have to do like binding reports, scanning plans into the file, coordinating the transmittals/submittals, plus in general being exactly what we need from a receptionist - always friendly and competent enough to hold a conversation for a second or two.

That's not to say she isn't a little 'rough' and there definitely isn't a filter between what pops up in her brain and what she says out loud. The other day she and I were putting plans together and she asked the following questions in rapid succession:

do you have kids?
are you married?
do you have a girlfriend?

I answered no to all of them and she goes, "Oh. Well, are you gay?" I just laughed.

A couple days ago a co-worker and I were working on a grading plan or something/having to draw in contours which often times do take 'odd' shapes. She came in and asked what we were doing so we told her and chatted for a second and mid sentence she changes from talking about a call that had just come in to this: "Oh ma GAWD YALL! That looks like a giant DICK!" which I thought was hilarious. But she said it so loud that the office manager heard it a couple offices over and had to come tell her that it was a little bit inappropriate.

I'm sure the longer she is in that environment though she will lose some of the rough edges.

I hope not! Do you know how funny it is to hear people say crude [expletive] after hearing nothing but nerd talk all day.

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote: A couple days ago a co-worker and I were working on a grading plan or something/having to draw in contours which often times do take 'odd' shapes. She came in and asked what we were doing so we told her and chatted for a second and mid sentence she changes from talking about a call that had just come in to this: "Oh ma GAWD YALL! That looks like a giant DICK!" which I thought was hilarious. But she said it so loud that the office manager heard it a couple offices over and had to come tell her that it was a little bit inappropriate.

and you were all, "You mean like this?",