Effing Contractors

[DodgyAgent]

About 2 years ago I thought I had placed a senior contractor (I had even driven him to the interview) at a good client of mine. The b**tard then decides to change his mind at the last minute. Part of me wants to throw my toys out of the pram, but I didnt. I didnt rubbish the contractor, and to be honest I should have spotted the signs earlier and dealt with him before hand.

The senior contractor and I did not fall out. He was not particularly contrite or apologetic about what had happened, but c'est la vie. Today we have another job for him at a new client and one of my staff calls him. True to form he gives my resourcer a good grilling about the role and agrees for us to send him forward, but no CV arrives.

We call him and he tells us that he is going direct as he knows one of the senior managers at the client site (to be fair he knew about the jobs anyway)


So I call him and appeal to his kinder nature (though he had never shown any signs of having one) and remind him of the fact that thanks to us taking much of the blame he was not spoiled from going back to that client. Anyway much to my surprise it worked and he has agreed to go through us.

The moral is that no matter how much people shi* on you, always keep your foot in the door as one day it might just open up for you.

[Cheshire Cat]

as you say, "c'est la vie"

[BlasterBates]

My agency, at the bequest of the client wants me to accept a no termination notice period, whereas I'm committed. I've declined, even a week ago, but the client is stonewalling assuming because the market is difficult I'll accept at the last minute.

I'm going to enjoy watching them squirm, when I dictate my new notice period on the last day, as it will cause a significant delay on their current project.

Oh how I will laugh, because I don't really care either way.

[DodgyAgent]

My agency, at the bequest of the client wants me to accept a no termination notice period, whereas I'm committed. I've declined, even a week ago, but the client is stonewalling assuming because the market is difficult I'll accept at the last minute.

I'm going to enjoy watching them squirm, when I dictate my new notice period on the last day, as it will cause a significant delay on their current project.

Oh how I will laugh, because I don't really care either way.

How grown up and businesslike of you

[BlasterBates]

Dodgy I have made an offer that is quite reasonable, whereby I have a months notice and they can keep their immediate termination. Someone is playing "hardball". The reason I'm not accepting is because it is abundantly clear they are not going to honour the 6 month contract.

But I am going to enjoy watching the ructions, and the arrogant manager who thinks he can dictate his conditions get his bottom kicked.

He's poker player, who doesn't understand the business he recently took over, and he thinks he has the better hand.

....but he doesn't

[DodgyAgent]

Dodgy I have made an offer that is quite reasonable, whereby I have a months notice and they can keep their immediate termination. Someone is playing "hardball". The reason I'm not accepting is because it is abundantly clear they are not going to honour the 6 month contract.

But I am going to enjoy watching the ructions, and the arrogant manager who thinks he can dictate his conditions get his bottom kicked.

He's poker player, who doesn't understand the business he recently took over, and he thinks he has the better hand.

....but he doesn't

Keep us posted

[BoiledSpastit]

Had the opposite once. An ex-manager called me direct (I had previously worked for him as a permie) and said he'd had my CV through an agent - we negotiated a direct rate. Then the agent calls me and wants to take a cut (only about 3%) - anyway I continued direct - and it was a pain getting the money out of them - I had to go through their finance department, endless phone calls - every month they were late and nearly always made some mistakes in the amount - they queried my invoices and generally were unhelpful. In hindsight I should have gone through the agent to save all that hassle.

[BlasterBates]

Keep us posted

It was the f***ing agent.

I spoke to the client this morning and he agreed with me "I'll sort it out" he said, so my theory of a bad inflexible manager was wrong

I've been conducting my negotiations with the agent, and he said it reflected what the client said, but this wasn't true. What a p**ock. The truth was the budget wasn't approved, so the agent decided to give me a notice period that covered their backs.

Bl***dy agents

Back to normality.

[EternalOptimist]

Question for Dodgy

Dodgy Agent

If the contractor had no notice period, but bailed out early, and the client wasnt too fussed (because there was cover for example, or the work was finished) would you still whack the contractor for some form of redress(e.g. compensation)

I havn't in the past, but am now condsidering getting this clause removed/amended for future contracts, cos it scares me

[DodgyAgent]

Dodgy Agent

If the contractor had no notice period, but bailed out early, and the client wasnt too fussed (because there was cover for example, or the work was finished) would you still whack the contractor for some form of redress(e.g. compensation)

I havn't in the past, but am now condsidering getting this clause removed/amended for future contracts, cos it scares me

Even if it p**ssed off the client I wouldnt bother. I would only consider such a move if the client came after me, which would be highly unlikely. Agencies who pursue this are mad and are usually bluffing anyway.