Insulted in front of my face

[mljw]

I am the only temp in a department for a leading organisation in London (some didn't get their contract extended). I recently got an extension. I had to do some work in a room where a manager's meeting was taking place but was quite shocked at the manager's blatant contempt in front of me with her colleagues. She talked about expenditure but was running the hired security down and temps down as a whole saying that she doesn't want them in the foreseeable future as some of them 'were not very good'. I was so humiliated as I was openly standing there doing work in the room, so I could hear everything. I lost my long term job prior to temping so need a job relating to my experience. I thought it was unbelievably rude and disrespectful (I'm running a building by myself and the 'hired help'. Any thoughts?

She sounds like a cow (although it’s possible she might be a once reasonable woman turned nasty under stress).. however rest assured she wasn’t insulting you, you wouldn’t have registered with her, she’s just thinking big strategy.

I am guessing you are young ish, so learn the lesson now not to personalise things that aren’t about you. It makes for a happier life.

The good thing about having been there is that you know you should look for another gig. It sounds toxic.

I suspect that the not very good ones were the ones that were not extended, she probably had a valid point and maybe temp/ hired security are a cost they are looking to reduce have more control over. I honestly doubt it was aimed at you and I do think you took something personal from a neutral comment. Slightly weird that you were in a room where that sort of discussion was happening

You are taking this too personally, if you were included in the not good pile you wouldn’t have had your contract extended.

Are you ok? Becayse you are taking this very personally. That was a valid management conversation in context. Some of them is not the same as saying none of them are very good. She clearly didn’t mean you.

But your contract has recently been extended not run down so what makes you think you were covered by that statement?

"running the hired security down and temps down as a whole saying that she doesn't want them in the foreseeable future as some of them 'were not very good'."

Sounds like a very stressed manager who is fed up of having temps who are useless so she doesn't want them in general. I don't think she is specifically referring to you. She has just had more bad experiences than good ones and seems to have decided that it's not ideal to take on temps going forward. Again, not a specific reflection on you.