diff --git a/worker/agent.go b/worker/agent.go
index 4c127ec..0442b22 100644
--- a/worker/agent.go
+++ b/worker/agent.go
@@ -24,16 +24,18 @@ type agent struct {
 	rw                *bufio.ReadWriter
 	worker            *Worker
 	in                chan []byte
+	readBuffPool      *sync.Pool
 	net, addr         string
 }
 
 // Create the agent of job server.
 func newAgent(net, addr string, worker *Worker) (a *agent, err error) {
 	a = &agent{
-		net:    net,
-		addr:   addr,
-		worker: worker,
-		in:     make(chan []byte, rt.QueueSize),
+		net:          net,
+		addr:         addr,
+		worker:       worker,
+		in:           make(chan []byte, rt.QueueSize),
+		readBuffPool: &sync.Pool{New: func() interface{} { return rt.NewBuffer(rt.BufferSize) }},
 	}
 	return
 }
@@ -55,11 +57,14 @@ func (a *agent) work() {
 	var err error
 	var data, leftdata []byte
 	startRw := a.loadRw()
+	if startRw == nil {
+		return // we are reconnecting at the moment, a new go routine will run on work() when reconnected...
+	}
 
 	// exit the loop if connection has been replaced because reconnect will launch a new work() thread
-	for startRw == a.loadRw() && !a.worker.isShuttingDown() {
+	for !a.worker.isShuttingDown() {
 
-		if data, err = a.read(); err != nil {
+		if data, err = a.read(startRw); err != nil {
 			if opErr, ok := err.(*net.OpError); ok {
 				if opErr.Temporary() {
 					a.worker.Log(Info, "opErr.Temporary():", a.addr)
@@ -68,12 +73,12 @@ func (a *agent) work() {
 					a.worker.Log(Info, "got permanent network error with server:", a.addr, "comm thread exiting.")
 					a.reconnectError(err)
 					// else - we're probably dc'ing due to a Close()
-					break
+					return
 				}
 			} else {
 				a.worker.Log(Info, "got error", err.Error(), "with server:", a.addr, "comm thread exiting...")
 				a.reconnectError(err)
-				break
+				return
 			}
 		}
 		if len(leftdata) > 0 { // some data left for processing
@@ -86,7 +91,7 @@ func (a *agent) work() {
 		for {
 			if inpack, l, err = decodeInPack(data); err != nil {
 				a.reconnectError(err)
-				break
+				return
 			} else {
 				leftdata = nil
 				inpack.a = a
@@ -99,7 +104,6 @@ func (a *agent) work() {
 				}
 			}
 		}
-
 	}
 }
 
@@ -247,13 +251,14 @@ func (a *agent) Connect() {
 }
 
 // read length bytes from the socket
-func (a *agent) read() (data []byte, err error) {
+func (a *agent) read(myRw *bufio.ReadWriter) (data []byte, err error) {
 	n := 0
 
-	tmp := rt.NewBuffer(rt.BufferSize)
+	tmp := a.readBuffPool.Get().([]byte)
+	defer a.readBuffPool.Put(tmp)
+
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 
-	myRw := a.loadRw()
 	// read the header so we can get the length of the data
 	if n, err = myRw.Read(tmp); err != nil {
 		return