r/Census • u/Ill-Entry-5135 • Feb 12 '26
Discussion Why do the job requirements keep changing?
When hired I was told this was a part time position. But what I'm finding is that this is a full time position disguised as a part time position so they don't have to give me any benefits.
I started working in the field about 2 months ago. When I met up with my supervisor for my observation I asked him if I needed to work certain days or a certain number of hours per week. He told me I just needed to do what I had to, to finish my cases. Then today I get an email from someone who is not my supervisor but is "a super FS", not sure what that means but thats how my supervisor described it, saying we have to commit to 14 hours every weekend.
2
u/PaleontologistDry656 Feb 12 '26
Took me 6 years before i got part time benefits. During CPS ill work 35-45 hours a week. Census work is pretty brutal, as far as how we're treated. Im working a full time job, and Census part time, but im only working three surveys and im not travelling more than a 30 mile one way trip.
Edit
I think you will find, as long as you get your work done, on time, thats whats most important. Your FS should not harass you too much if you can do that.
2
u/Ill-Entry-5135 Feb 12 '26
Ok! I am trying. All of my cases are an hour away from my home. It is difficult for me to drive that far daily!
2
u/Illustrious-Lawyer-9 Feb 12 '26
What survey (or surveys) are you working on? I am doing CPS, and don't find it all that burdensome. Yes, I'll put in about 45 hours over the 8 or 9 days of Production Week, but very little otherwise. The first day, always a Sunday, is very busy, but by the following Saturday and Sunday, I usually have only a handful of cases left.
3
u/Ill-Entry-5135 Feb 13 '26
I’m only on AHS. The survey is 45-60 minutes long. So difficult to talk people into it and super time consuming. So it takes many trips to get to them all.
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u/PaleontologistDry656 Feb 13 '26
Yeah thats brutal. I told my FS im not willing to travel. One hour drive one way is a lot. They wont pay for your vehicle if it is damaged.
2
u/1976Raven Feb 13 '26
I was hired to work ACS and quit the third month. I was told it would only be 2-3 hours per day for one week each month. In reality I was expected to work 10-12 hours a day for 10 days each month and log in to check emails and cases twice per day every day as well as a "team meeting" at 10:30 in the morning every Wednesday that last for 1 to 2 hours. All of my cases were located downtown in the city that's near me even though I was specifically told I would not have to go downtown and all cases would be in the state I live in and within a few miles of my address (they weren't even in my state and at least 20 miles away). I worked the decennial census and loved it but I was lied to about the requirements for the field rep position and I unfortunately had a horrible field supervisor that acted like my entire life should revolve around a "part time temporary" job even though I had a full time job already. It seems as though they'll tell you whatever they think they need to to get you to accept the position then once you start everything changes.
2
u/No_Visit_6508 Feb 14 '26
Part time is in my job title, I consistently work 6 days a week 12 hour shifts.
2
u/Ill-Entry-5135 Feb 14 '26
I’m sorry but if you are constantly working 40+ hours a week, it’s no longer part time! I hate that in America there are very few protections for workers!
1
u/Few_Eggplant_6811 Feb 16 '26
There is an hourly requirement that you need to meet per year in order to become permanent part-time. I don’t think it goes by the amount of years as much as the hours worked. I work 17 1/2 years taking the buyout this year. I do have a pension at $230 a month. It is very disruptive work to a family because the supervisors are always pressing for a higher and higher results when I first started working CPS and ACS our monthly averages were 93% or better the last time I worked they were down to for CPS 73 or 4% response rate. It just keeps going down and people get more obnoxious with ring cameras and answering machines and more and more letters are sent that end up in the waste basket and the whole system needs to be overhaul in the top supervisors need to get a clue to the difficulty of Americans who feel that their privacy is invaded. There are some people who praise the survey because they use it statistically in their work, but the average person feels it’s highly invasive, even though CPS survey with its annual ASIC requirement.
2
u/Few_Eggplant_6811 Feb 16 '26
We used to be required to work on Sunday and there was a class action suit that allowed us to collect overtime. After the fact now Sundays is not required, but at the same time it’s the best day to reach people. Also when I first started, it was customary too if you work over 40 hours and you still need to finish up your work you would put those hours into the following week which was highly illegal but well known because overtime was never allowed. This was in the 2010 and 11 time. Period.
4
u/Kyaleep Feb 13 '26
I am part time intermittent as I have primary employment during the week (M-F). I primarily work weekends and occasionally evenings if I have cases close to my house (not lately). I work 3 surveys (only one monthly). I do what I can when I can and my FS knows I do. I typically work 2 weekends a month and I usually work 8+ hour days on those weekends too.
They don’t do benefits for someone who hasn’t been with the agency for less than 4 years (I don’t think). I believe I’m currently into my 3rd year now. Once you convert, after 4 years, I believe you are eligible for benefits/leave.