Most contractor unfriendly clients and clients managers

[psychocandy]

From what I've heard, #1 is quite common in Germany. Some companies completely segregate contractors from permies. Not worked there myself so this is second/third hand knowledge. I don't have an issue with it as long as it doesn't impact productivity. Spend too long hanging around the permies and they start to treat you like one, and you start behaving like one....

Had #2 when working at Maersk. Not quite that extreme but I did find it frankly ridiculous that due to the no home working policy I had to take a whole day off for a 10 minute check up at the dentist. So, I booked it for a really inconvenient time for the project

Car parking, really? My goodness that's scraping the barrel as to 'bad client' criteria.

Car parking one was nuts. Fair enough the car park wasn't massive so by 8am it was full. BUT when they said it was company policy that no-one parks out the front of the building then well..... Lets just say I did.

Mind you this was the same guy who told me I wasn't allowed to leave site at lunchtime.....

[Si666]

Have come across the parking thing in a couple of places. It's pretty crap as I had to move my car from one supermarket car part to another every 2 hours. You could risk residential parking but if you worked late you'd find that some twunt sprayed WD40 across your windscreen or let your tyres down cos you robbed the space outside their house. Have worked in one place where contractors had 2, some times 3, times as much workload as the permies and were expected to deliver in the same time frame (which I didn't mind as I could work unlimited hours). Also know a department manger of who was quite open about the fact the he "hates contractors", and was openly insulting to them in front of other people. I tend not to stay in those places very long and I tend also not to produce my best work for them.

[psychocandy]

Have come across the parking thing in a couple of places. It's pretty crap as I had to move my car from one supermarket car part to another every 2 hours. You could risk residential parking but if you worked late you'd find that some twunt sprayed WD40 across your windscreen or let your tyres down cos you robbed the space outside their house. Have worked in one place where contractors had 2, some times 3, times as much workload as the permies and were expected to deliver in the same time frame (which I didn't mind as I could work unlimited hours). Also know a department manger of who was quite open about the fact the he "hates contractors", and was openly insulting to them in front of other people. I tend not to stay in those places very long and I tend also not to produce my best work for them.

Agreed. Best places I've worked is where no-one gives a toss if you're a contractor or not....

[Zigenare]

Agreed. Best places I've worked is where no-one gives a toss if you're a contractor or not....

I spent nearly 5 years at HP/HPE/DXC in Hook, nobody gave a tulip if you were a contractor.

[KinooOrKinog]

Talking to a mate recently where the team leader pretty much insisted that contactors "because they earn loads" had to buy the beer for the whole team every friday lunchtime.

Now, I usually offer to buy beer for the permies but not sure if I'd like to be told to be honest.

Got me thinking of, over the years, some places are a bit contractor-unfriendly....

1. Place where there was a "contractor corner". Contractors weren't allowed to sit next to permies. Weird.

2. Client where contractors have to be in by 9am, can't work from home ever. This team leader used to miss meetings because he'd forgotten at 11am and hadn't turned up, worked from home and you could never contact him. His attitude "flexible hours and wfh is a perk of being a permie, you're perk is extra money".

3. No contractors in the main car park. BUT you couldn't park on the road outside the office (no yellow lines but it looked "scruffy") and had to park in the overflow car park (about 15 mins walk away).

These guys obviously have small knobs..

[DealorNoDeal]

Jibes about gold wheelbarrows every time you get your timesheets signed off wears a bit thin after a while. Didn't stay at that gig very long.

[ladymuck]

Agreed. Best places I've worked is where no-one gives a toss if you're a contractor or not....

Ah so part and parcel of the organisation?

[Zigenare]

Ah so part and parcel of the organisation?

Nope, certainly not in the case I'm mentioning.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Mind you this was the same guy who told me I wasn't allowed to leave site at lunchtime.....

He must have met me.

I've left a couple of contracts at lunch on the first day.

[GJABS]

I've left a couple of contracts at lunch on the first day.

What was their sin?