Contracting for Lloyds

[Roger Mellie]

Did 5 months there at Copley end of 2013 to 2014,
First day in after signing was told all contractors off site for 2 weeks over xmas no pay. Agent "forgot" to tell me this.
Put my back up straight away, soon realised this place was not for me disliked the corporate culture, contractors and permies sitting seperately at lunch and just general bureacracy mixed in with hypcocrisy and self important attitudes.
I wanted to negotoate out but stuck it out and didnt bother renewing and certainly not for 10% rate cut as it was already below what i normally get. Black listed for me and and doubt i will go back into any financial institutions, will stick with utilities and retail as seems a better fit for me, but each to their own.

But you're a contractor, so why get all permie-like over "a better fit". Thought we were all in business to make a profit? Careers, better fit and corporate structures are for permies and temps. All I'm concerned with is doing a good job, getting my timesheet signed and getting paid on time for my contracted hours. Everything else is irrelevant and can bog off.

[tpsman]

Anyone heard any more about the 2 week contractor summer freeze?

[northernladuk]

What has been "eye opening"?

I'm there at the moment (I'm a specialist on one of their banking systems). There's some annoying people and some really great people - fairly typical of any company I've been onsite at.

Anyone heard any more about the 2 week contractor summer freeze?

So not fairly typical of any company and bit of an eye opener then

[veroli]

I wasn't getting all "permie" over it, i didnt like the place, rules, etc so i sat it out, invoiced and didnt renew. Going off what is said on here that seems to be the "contractor" mentality. For me contracting is a lifestyle not necessarily just an invoice at the end of the month. I get to pick and choose where and when i work. This enables me to switch off completely in evening and at weekends, and when i get bored move on to something else, take a month off whatever i want which is not something i could ever do as a permie.
It was asked what it was like to work there so i gave an account of my experience. Seems you can't say anything on here without being accused of a having a permie attitude.

[eek]

So not fairly typical of any company and bit of an eye opener then

Strangely I have no problem with a 2 week freeze in the Summer for contractors. Its a Financial Regulation that all staff have 2 weeks away from the office as part of their anti-fraud measures.

[northernladuk]

Strangely I have no problem with a 2 week freeze in the Summer for contractors. Its a Financial Regulation that all staff have 2 weeks away from the office as part of their anti-fraud measures.

Yep and the long blackout periods over Xmas and the like. I was just making the point the poster says he can't see the difference and then mentions an event that isn't common across many other clients so working there can be an eye opener.

[eek]

Yep and the long blackout periods over Xmas and the like. I was just making the point the poster says he can't see the difference and then mentions an event that isn't common across many other clients so working there can be an eye opener.

The Christmas blackout is a lloyds / Barclays special. Two weeks off in the summer is standard across finance. I had to be off site once while permie for a consultancy

[Roger Mellie]

I wasn't getting all "permie" over it, i didnt like the place, rules, etc so i sat it out, invoiced and didnt renew. Going off what is said on here that seems to be the "contractor" mentality. For me contracting is a lifestyle not necessarily just an invoice at the end of the month. I get to pick and choose where and when i work. This enables me to switch off completely in evening and at weekends, and when i get bored move on to something else, take a month off whatever i want which is not something i could ever do as a permie.
It was asked what it was like to work there so i gave an account of my experience. Seems you can't say anything on here without being accused of a having a permie attitude.

Was that the same place where you got busted for being on your phone too much? From what I can gather, you've had two contracts with both being too 'corporate'.

[oliverson]

The Christmas blackout is a lloyds / Barclays special. Two weeks off in the summer is standard across finance. I had to be off site once while permie for a consultancy

^False statement above. I've been in finance for the last 11 years (last 7 in London) and I've never been forced to take a single day off in summer, not even for the London Olympics, and aside from that event I don't know anybody who has been forced to take time off in the summer.

[northernladuk]

^False statement above. I've been in finance for the last 11 years (last 7 in London) and I've never been forced to take a single day off in summer, not even for the London Olympics, and aside from that event I don't know anybody who has been forced to take time off in the summer.

I was gonna say this cause I have never had this enforced but I'm usually wrong so decided to stay schtum so what he says.