How many files can a corporation possibly need in one day? Seriously, does any fat cat executive really need to have over thirty files sent up to his office every single morning? The sad thing is, that was one of the lighter requests. Working as a file clerk in the bowels of corporate headquarters for some multi-million dollar conglomerate is the closest thing on earth that I could compare to hell. Basically I’m stuck in the basement of a nondescript building. Only one tiny desk sits at the end of the huge open floor plan filled to the brim with rows and rows of filing shelves. All that sits on the top of my tiny desk is a telephone, computer monitor, notepad, and a cup filled with pens and pencils. My entire day consists of answering the phone, jotting down the file requests that the secretaries pass along, browsing the aisles to gather the requested files, and then taking them upstairs to whichever secretary had called down. That is my steady routine up until I am allowed to take my lunch at one. When I return at two it is time to head back upstairs with my file cart and begin the three hour job of collecting the files I’d delivered in the morning. The secretaries will usually divide the files into two piles to make it easier to me. One for the files they won’t be needing anymore and the other for those they want brought back up first thing in the morning. Once all the files are collected and returned to their correct places on the shelves I go to the computer and double check that every file has been returned. If there are any unaccounted for, files that have not been flagged for take home permission, I compile them into one concise report and submit it to the head of whichever department I have logged as the initial requestor. The job is mind numbingly boring but it pays the rent so that doesn’t leave much room for complaining. Plus, in a company this size, there was always room for advancement. Maybe some day I’ll be moved up to a floor that allows in natural sunlight.
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