Bottom of the Totem Pole

I recently started a new job in a new state, and while the work is interesting and my coworkers are nice, I find myself missing the feeling of working with a small department or office, knowing the names of everyone's children, joking with their spouses, etc.

I know, this will come in time, if the position pans out - I'm just a temp right now.

Working with people who you've shared trials and tribulations, inside jokes about people, places or things, it's hard to find. It makes work more enjoyable, makes the time pass more quickly, and the horrid customers more amusing.

Additionally, I'm finding it hard to be at the bottom of the totem pole again, in a position of not knowing anything, of having to ask questions about even the most basic policies. I know, I know, that will go away in time, as I learn and grow, but it's frustrating in the meantime.

It's a different environment where I work, too. At prior jobs, while the locations were owned by a larger corporation, we had a lot of autonomy in our policies, what products we sold, etc. Now, I'm working for a large corporation, one of the Fortune 500s, and I am still getting lost in the maze of interconnected buildings and red-and-purple-and-green decor.

I do enjoy my job, it's a completely different industry than I have ever worked in, but I am able to use skills I learned at previous jobs (customer service, invoice analysis, etc.) to my advantage. The Corporation is adamant about breaks, even though it is not required by state law, something which some prior jobs saw as a detriment to company profits.

In the end, I am glad to be gainfully employed again, and at a company I actually enjoy working for. Plus, no customers!