Want to leave current contract

[psychocandy]

Health is more important. Bail now - you dont need a doctors note. Just tell the agency.

They wont be happy but **** em.

[blossom]

Thank you!

Thank you all for the advice, I really, really appreciate it.

I rather like the idea of rocking in with a bottle of whisky

I'm going to think it through and see what I can do to make it to the end, as many of you have said. I will reduce the hours and communicate clearly with them to agree on what is achievable between now and end date.

Really though, if that doesn't come off in the next day or so, I may end up walking.

Honestly, thanks for the support, I was feeling really down this morning but feel so much better for your responses

[NotAllThere]

Health is more important. Bail now - you dont need a doctors note. Just tell the agency.

The purpose of getting a note it to cover yourself. If the agency should be so stupid as to go legal, then if you can show that there was no way to fulfil the contract (mental health breakdown sufficient to be signed off work), it's a good defence. Especially over a piddling two week's commission.

...If I fail miserably and miss some key deadlines (which will ultimately impact the wider programme and know out release dates etc), can they blame me? Could I be sued for incompetence? I know that's what my PI is for, but what if I have handled things badly? ...
I'm hoping that the stress has just majorly screwed my perspective and that I'm being completely paranoid!

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you. All you need to do is document certain issues. Download email discussions etc. Just for a bit of backside covering. But it's extremely unlikely they'd take any action whatsoever.

Make sure your timesheets are signed. Make sure you get paid for work you have done. Buy this book, which personally I think is essential reading for anyone working in a project environment.

[BlueSharp]

Sorry to hear your situation. I have had similar before, the straw that broke the camels back for me was when they decided to go to 4 week renewals decided days before the contract end date when there was clearly 12 months plus work.

Their poor management is not your problem. Do what hours you feel are reasonable and make sure you leave when planned. No contract is worth risking your health for.

Realizing the lesson above has been a great help for me as I'm involved in another Death March project at another client and have given the client the option to re-scope the project, move deadlines or get a new Architect. They went for option 1 and lined up a second follow on project.

[pauldee]

Call me naive here, but why not just turn up at 9am, work until 5pm and do a realistic amount of work? Take any bollockings that come your way. Keep out of any politics. You're only getting stressed because you're trying to keep up with their unrealistic demands. If you're not interested in having your contract renewed why bother? Just ride out the next couple of months?

[WTFH]

What does your contract say about the number of hours you need to work?
How long have you left to go on your notice period?

[northernladuk]

Call me naive here, but why not just turn up at 9am, work until 5pm and do a realistic amount of work? Take any bollockings that come your way. Keep out of any politics. You're only getting stressed because you're trying to keep up with their unrealistic demands. If you're not interested in having your contract renewed why bother? Just ride out the next couple of months?

Must admit that kinda crossed my mind as well. Just knowing you are leaving should be like a massive weight of your shoulders. The rest should just be like water off a ducks back from there on in. That said if it's as viscious as the OP makes out on site it's probably not that simple.

[BlasterBates]

Thank you all for the advice, I really, really appreciate it.

I rather like the idea of rocking in with a bottle of whisky

I'm going to think it through and see what I can do to make it to the end, as many of you have said. I will reduce the hours and communicate clearly with them to agree on what is achievable between now and end date.

Really though, if that doesn't come off in the next day or so, I may end up walking.

Honestly, thanks for the support, I was feeling really down this morning but feel so much better for your responses

That is the spirit, the challenge you face is not trying to achieve some unachievable objective but in controlling your anger and stress levels.

Once you've accepted that you aren't going to achieve your objectives, then just put one foot in front of the other to make some measurable progress, then all you have to cope with is the stress of a "bollocking" which won't last more than a few minutes especially if you don't reply, and remember to have a smirk on your face when you receive it.

[oscarose]

1. Walk - life's too short.
2. Get onto a CBT course. Plenty of online resources too.

[mike67]

If I fail miserably and miss some key deadlines (which will ultimately impact the wider programme and know out release dates etc), can they blame me? Could I be sued for incompetence? I know that's what my PI is for, but what if I have handled things badly? I've tried to implement improvements and been totally shot down. I've asked for help on particular things and been shot down, not support in place and I had no handover at all, in fact my hiring manage met me on day one and i didn't see of hear form him for a week. He just left me to it and within 48 hours I was receiving stroppy phonecalls and email from several people for things not having been done and things needing doing urgently.

In theory if you mess up you could be sued. In practice the chance of it happening is pretty small, especially as it sounds as if the problems are far wider than you. For them to win a case against you they would have to show that your work was negligent or far below the standard they should have expected from a contractor in your position, and that there was no justification for this. With all the problems going on with them, I doubt they would be bothered with the time, expense and hassle of this esp when their case doesn't sound that strong.

If the whole project had been outsourced to a big firm and they had messed it up, the company could consider action against the firm. But action against an individual contractor in the midst of a maelstrom of issues would be a pretty dumb move for them.