Carpeted

[Gumbo Robot]

Definitely get the coffees in and buy a few donuts, if it's the done thing there. And be open and sociable of course. And obviously make friends/be nice, and have a smile/laugh with your team. Whatever is reasonable.

However, if I received a proper, comprehensive carpeting I would just walk. If they want to carpet someone, re-program their personality, mold them in the company image, that's great. It's called "hiring a permie". Let them do that. Let them pay the employers NIC which they are craftily avoiding with you. Let them pay the pension, the holidays, the benefits, the training, and the HR. Let them shoulder the risk of the 60k permie leaving after his 30k courses, or of being weird, or rubbish, and unsackable. Let them risk hiring a bad permie who will sit on their books like giant carbuncle for 5 years. Let them enjoy carpeting him.

But we are all in a different position and it is hard to know what is reasonable in another person's job/personal position. I am a unix admin and the market is fairly good, so I am not "under the cosh", and I have never been carpeted anyway. All the same, leaving "carpeting" behind was one of the main reasons for being a contractor.

Obviously whatever you do, be reasonable, send reasonable emails and never lose your temper.

That's what I feel is happening. I'm a man of few words. I just say what I need to really; unless I'm with people on a social basis then I'm different.

I'm just not one of those people who bounds over to other people's desks and does the whole "hey guys..." routine.

[expat]

...

Everyone else makes their own instant stuff in the kitchen.

When I started, I used to ask if anyone wanted a coffee from downstairs, nobody ever did so I just kind of do my own thing on that front now.
Don't see what the issue is.

Looks like the issue is that you are not like them. Maybe you wouldn't want to be!

[psychocandy]

I must admit I'm of the opinion that if you're on client site then you've got to try to fit it (to a certain extent). Nothing worse for a client than someone sitting in the corner thinking they own the place, refusing to do stuff etc. As I've said many times, a lot of client dont care about your contractor status they want the work done.

BUT, I'm with OP on this one. There are some places where you just can't win. No matter what they do you can't do anything right. I've had it.

One manager told me that they didn't think my attitude to customer support was right and I needed to improve. I did point out that I'd been doing this for 25 years, worked all over europe for some large household names and they'd never complained.

I did point out to this manager that, no offence and not waving my willy, his 5 years experience working as IT support in his previous role in local government did not exactly qualify him to comment on my attitude either....

Didn't last much longer after that but hey ho. IT happens.

[northernladuk]

In some places, if you do a good job, chat a bit, help anyone who needs it, and be nice, then you do fit. Sounds like the OP is not in one of those places.

To be honest it sounds like that's not the OP not that the client is one of those places. That's not a criticism. Sometimes you are just not a team fit to varying degrees. I've worked with contractors that get far too familiar with the client from the off and others that have stayed distant the entire gigs. Most of the time it does make them a bit of a target but not enough to warrant any action. This just sounds like a fairly extreme case so it's just up to the OP what he wants to do.

[GCR99]

I think you know within the first few days whether you will fit in or not. It either feels right or it doesn't. I have had two places where it just didn't feel right, and I left after the initial 3 months. Nothing to do with the work, just the people were not my type, and oddly they were both FTSE100 companies. Make of that what you will..

[Arnie365]

There was no F2F. I'd been with them before 8 years ago but they've since been taken over and this is a completely different bunch of people.

I obviously worked in agile before and I guess Ive always gone through the motions but the client has always been happy because the end product has always been good. The problem with this one is that there's not much coding. Everything is done with their own in house 4GL tool which is completely undocumented and nobody seems to know anything about.

Regarding tea making, there's a cafe downstairs where you can get a good strong cup of coffee.

I go down there.

Everyone else makes their own instant stuff in the kitchen.

When I started, I used to ask if anyone wanted a coffee from downstairs, nobody ever did so I just kind of do my own thing on that front now.
Don't see what the issue is.

Mate - Try the 48 laws of power.
keep smiling- keep invoicing.
You can be a superstar in one gig and a villain in another one.As a contractor - to leave or stay is your choice.

[Gumbo Robot]

I think you know within the first few days whether you will fit in or not. It either feels right or it doesn't. I have had two places where it just didn't feel right, and I left after the initial 3 months. Nothing to do with the work, just the people were not my type, and oddly they were both FTSE100 companies. Make of that what you will..

I'm happiest working for smaller clients. You turn up on day one and they say they want a system that does x,y,z and you spend the next 6 months pulling all the stops out to delivery the product.

Unfortunately those gigs rarely pay well.

Good rates seem to come from doing unchallenging grunt work for the bigger corps.

Does anyone ever actually accept a role on a much lower rate than another gig on offer because the work is going to be enjoyable and you think you're going to fit in better? I have to confess, I've always gone for what pays the most.

Could be time to rethink that one.

[psychocandy]

Mate - Try the 48 laws of power.
keep smiling- keep invoicing.
You can be a superstar in one gig and a villain in another one.As a contractor - to leave or stay is your choice.

Oh yes.

[BolshieBastard]

For the first time in 15 years I've been pulled in for what would probably be called a disciplinary, if I were permie.

Been at this client for 6 weeks. It's a very, very agile environment. Everything I get given is in bite sized chunks with layers of administrative crap wrapped around it & everything I do seems to be scrutinised by a much broader range of people than places I've been before.

They don't have an issue with my code. It's more the way I fit into a team; no. 1 gripe is the amount I say at the morning stand up. True, I try to keep it as brief as possible because I got up at 5am & I don't enjoy talking guff in front of 20 people at the best of times, especially not when I feel like I'm under a microscope.

Then there's what they call general team work - I don't tackle problems together with other team members enough for their liking; even the fact that I don't make coffee for the team was flagged as an issue.

Seriously, I've never had any problems like this before but I've never worked anywhere so obsessed with team dynamics. Seems like you can't just pickup a piece of work & get on with it - they're not happy unless they see you interacting with someone or sitting down for a bit of pair programming.

So, this negative performance review, or whatever you want to call it, is this an "agile" way of bringing you round to their way of working or is it, err, the writing on the wall?

My own view? I just feel that my face doesn't fit. They're mainly young guys, recent grads, who are keen and hungry for it. I'm towards the other end of my career & while I can play the game I just can't fake the enthusiasm for something I find so dull, even if the rate is good; That said, I get the job done so I don't get what their issue is.

They are clearly treating you as a permie no doubt because other contractors there comply. This is only going to get worse across clients imo.

All this talk about having to bend or buy a load of doughnuts (seriously!?) is utter rubbish imo especially if you want to be seen as an independent business supplying a service. Yes, we all compromise a little but toeing the permie line should never be acceptable.

Ive returned to a place I last worked at roughly 4 or 5 years ago. The changes towards contractors is eye opening. I really looked forward to working with the client again (now my 4th time) but it will be my last. They want contractors to be permie like without having to pay NI, tax, pension contributions etc, etc.

[billybiro]

For the first time in 15 years I've been pulled in for what would probably be called a disciplinary, if I were permie.

Been at this client for 6 weeks. It's a very, very agile environment. Everything I get given is in bite sized chunks with layers of administrative crap wrapped around it & everything I do seems to be scrutinised by a much broader range of people than places I've been before.

They don't have an issue with my code. It's more the way I fit into a team; no. 1 gripe is the amount I say at the morning stand up. True, I try to keep it as brief as possible because I got up at 5am & I don't enjoy talking guff in front of 20 people at the best of times, especially not when I feel like I'm under a microscope.

Then there's what they call general team work - I don't tackle problems together with other team members enough for their liking; even the fact that I don't make coffee for the team was flagged as an issue.

Seriously, I've never had any problems like this before but I've never worked anywhere so obsessed with team dynamics. Seems like you can't just pickup a piece of work & get on with it - they're not happy unless they see you interacting with someone or sitting down for a bit of pair programming.

So, this negative performance review, or whatever you want to call it, is this an "agile" way of bringing you round to their way of working or is it, err, the writing on the wall?

My own view? I just feel that my face doesn't fit. They're mainly young guys, recent grads, who are keen and hungry for it. I'm towards the other end of my career & while I can play the game I just can't fake the enthusiasm for something I find so dull, even if the rate is good; That said, I get the job done so I don't get what their issue is.

Come Monday, just go in and treat them all to a nice cup of coffee. Don't ask them if they want one, just get them. And a large tray of Krispy Kremes. Oh, and do this every day for the remainder of the gig. Then spend all day wheeling your chair around the office to the desks of the other team members casually interrupting them to ask how their evening was, did you see Eastenders last night? Ooh, isn't it getting good? Who will come out on top between Phil & Vincent, yadda yadda yadda. Whilst doing all of this, completely ignore any "real" work that you may have actually been hired for. Two weeks later, when you're carpeted for non-delivery of code/service/etc, simply remind them of the amount of tea, coffee and doughnuts you've supplied!