How to deal with discrimination as a contractor

[psychocandy]

One of the problems with being a contractor, which is partly why I don't do it any more, is you have to suck it up.

I took a fair amount of abuse from permies in my last contract. They just didn't like (overpaid) contractors. The managers were even worse because they knew exactly how much you were getting (ie. more than them). They weren't subtle either, with references to "gold wheelbarrows" etc. Even though they were totally dependent on my skill set, they couldn't help themselves having constant digs.

It was a case of shrug it off or leave. I've seen what happens when contractors get into dispute with permies and it doesn't usually end well for the contractor.

Yep clients like that out there. Current client I get called sheep shagging contractor scumbag now and again but its all a joke ;-)

One place the permies would just refuse to talk to contractors. Special contractor section of the room. If anything big kicked off the permies would steam in and jealously take over.

Management were just as bad. Sure a couple of the permies got asked to note down times etc for contractors. If any contractor EVER got spotted on a web site then they'd be spoken to but permies sat there for hours one day huddled around watching streaming coverage of the Ryder cup.

When I left I found that previous three contractors had been canned due to 'issues'. So I was lucky to survive as long as I did (I left after rejecting another renewal). I think the problem was it was just a bad attitude towards contractors and the permies were playing the game of the spot the mistake and dob in the overpaid contractor.

[northernladuk]

We need a new section dedicated to PC's tall tales.

[MrMarkyMark]

We need a new section dedicated to PC's tall tales.

Well, this must be one. I cannot believe they thought so highly of him

Yep clients like that out there. Current client I get called sheep shagging contractor scumbag now and again but its all a joke ;-)

[BrilloPad]

We need a new section dedicated to PC's tall tales.

I was wondering how this thread got to so many posts. There should have just been 1 reply - "suck it up".

[DonkeyRhubarb]

I was wondering how this thread got to so many posts. There should have just been 1 reply - "suck it up".

It started out as an issue of possible sex discrimination, which it could be.

Unfortunately, as a contractor, being treated like dirt just goes with the territory.

[Eirikur]

One of the problems with being a contractor, which is partly why I don't do it any more, is you have to suck it up.

I took a fair amount of abuse from permies in my last contract. They just didn't like (overpaid) contractors. The managers were even worse because they knew exactly how much you were getting (ie. more than them). They weren't subtle either, with references to "gold wheelbarrows" etc. Even though they were totally dependent on my skill set, they couldn't help themselves having constant digs.

It was a case of shrug it off or leave. I've seen what happens when contractors get into dispute with permies and it doesn't usually end well for the contractor.

When I went on a short perm break in between contracts, I negotiated a good salary, which made it interesting to go perm again, but it resulted my manager mentioning my salary in every conversation we had. Was so fed up I resigned after 4 months and went back into contracting.

[Glencky]

@SueEllen - yes, the experiences you relate in your post have happened to me too (and I think here I can add 'of course'). But my point was, there was nothing in the OP's actual post to indicate really whether what was happening to her in this instance was genuinely about gender, or about something else. But the post was of course a partial view, as one post always will be - hence the OP should clarify if she wants more meaningful input.

To others pointing out that in essence, people can be arseholes to all other people, not just women - yes, obviously. But we get to deal with those AND the twonks who have their own special brand of arseholery reserved only for women.

[SueEllen]

I actually should have added to my post those 2 cases where the most overt cases of sexism to happen to me. This is due to them having multiple witnesses.

The other cases would fall into the grey area including when men have made sexist comments, or women who gave no interest in technology have tried to subvert my role simply because I am or was likely to do better than them.

In those people's cases instinct would say to you they weren't being sexist but the history of each person's actions towards others similar to me would indicate they were.

How did I find their history? Easy. When someone is a monster in the workplace if you talk to another people you easily find out they have done it before.

[SpontaneousOrder]

In my experience almost everywhere has valued competent women very highly. So I'd just move on.

I don't know if senior management level is different from what I perceive it to be like, but as a contractor - if the price is right then what does it matter if other people get to work from home and you don't?

If it's important then you need to be clear about it before you start - every contract i've had states freedom & autonomy etc. But in reality the client want's you in, and doesn't consider WFH to be reasonable autonomy given their view of the project's needs.

If it's just that sometimes other people get better perks, then join the club. But don't be the person who feels sad and angry when they get a £200k bonus out of the blue in appreciation of your hard work, just because the next day you realise that everyone else got 300K.
That just makes you, in practise, worse off than if you only got 50K and everyone else got none.

If it's more grievous than that, then crack-on (although I personally think such laws are immoral). But not WFH doesn't sound like something to be taken seriously to me - especially given it not being agreed to, rather than just being assumed.

[fool]

I actually should have added to my post those 2 cases where the most overt cases of sexism to happen to me. This is due to them having multiple witnesses.

The other cases would fall into the grey area including when men have made sexist comments, or women who gave no interest in technology have tried to subvert my role simply because I am or was likely to do better than them.

In those people's cases instinct would say to you they weren't being sexist but the history of each person's actions towards others similar to me would indicate they were.

How did I find their history? Easy. When someone is a monster in the workplace if you talk to another people you easily find out they have done it before.

Actually making a sexist comment is probably a lot more obvious, though sadly also the sorta thing I, being working class Scottish, might say to you in complete jest.

The history part is tricky though. Again I actually think you seem reasonable thus wouldn't be suprised if you're just right, but it's also a possibility that everyone thinks the guys a tulip but the only ones willing to talk about it are those who perceive discrimination.

Point is almost everyone I work with annoys the hell out of me. It's not particularly in my interests to make that known, and I don't have an -ism stick to beat them down with, thus I generally don't.