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Best way to respond to criticism as a contractor

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    #31
    Originally posted by washed up contractor View Post
    I love reading the 'advice' given by some of the posters to threads like these. It makes me marvel at how some of them manage to complete a contract.

    The OP needs to have a low key discussion with the PM and no, I wouldnt advise tailgating the person into the tea point as someone else always comes in at an inopportune time.

    The OP needs to explain their 'routine' and offer apologies (not grovelling) for not keeping the PM in the loop and ask if they want the OP to book a room as an alternative to making calls in the car (seriously!?). you

    Then, the OP needs to understand that not all employees love the contractor culture and can make life quite difficult if they get a whiff of a contractor potentially taking the piss.
    There aren't always rooms to book or even go to at client sites. Some even have difficulty sorting out rooms for interviews. I've had the "privilege" of sitting next to some guy who was telephone interviewing others at one Clientco because of this. Wouldn't have been a problem if the guy was British but he was American so half the open plan office was listening to him.
    "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

    Comment


      #32
      Originally posted by washed up contractor View Post
      I love reading the 'advice' given by some of the posters to threads like these. It makes me marvel at how some of them manage to complete a contract.

      The OP needs to have a low key discussion with the PM and no, I wouldnt advise tailgating the person into the tea point as someone else always comes in at an inopportune time.

      The OP needs to explain their 'routine' and offer apologies (not grovelling) for not keeping the PM in the loop and ask if they want the OP to book a room as an alternative to making calls in the car (seriously!?).

      Then, the OP needs to understand that not all employees love the contractor culture and can make life quite difficult if they get a whiff of a contractor potentially taking the piss.
      Pretty much agree here.

      1. Low key, definitely.
      2. You could have been binned easily enough, so toss your anger in the bin. Somebody is probably protecting you, or it would have happened -- maybe the PM likes your work.
      3. Your discussion is simply this: there's a problem (environment is noisy for phone calls). You were trying to solve it without bugging the PM -- your role as a contractor is to make PM's job as easy and hassle free as possible. But you can see now you should have been keeping the PM informed of the situation. You are certainly open to any other solutions that are preferred, but what you've been doing works and you have the call logs to show it. If they really prefer that you make the calls in a noisy environment so everyone can see you, you'll do it, but your professional recommendation is that some other solution be found.

      If the conversation goes well, ask if you can write to the agency saying that the miscommunication that triggered the earlier email has been resolved, and then do so with a copy to the PM.

      All that said, if there are significant gaps in the call logs that mean you can't prove your claim if someone is suspicious, you are in trouble on this one. Just eat the criticism and learn from it and don't do it at the next contract.

      Comment


        #33
        Personally i would have a quiet word with the Programme Director to explain yourself but if you only have four weeks left (assuming no chance of renewal) run the clock down by doing your hours at your desk and no more even if it to the detriment of the project.

        On one project the Project Manager had the day off and for some reason her boss decided to check what we were doing on the bug tracking system and noticed nothing new had been raised that day and sent an e-mail to the Project Manager suggesting the test team didn't do anything while she was to the office.

        Had she asked we could have told her the test system was down for maintenance that day and we were test scripting,

        Some people really need to get the full picture before wading in.

        Comment


          #34
          Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
          I didn't say ask for permission I said tell them where you are and why. That way you get rid of potential problems.
          Working off premises should be contractually agreed. You can't just work at home, and whether you're in your car in the car park or at home makes no difference.
          I'm alright Jack

          Comment


            #35
            Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
            Maybe you should have read it as it isn't that long. Might have saved making yourself look like an idiot again.
            The required hours are in his contact. Nothing to do with SD&C.
            Adhering to clients core hours is a requirement of the gig. Nothing to do with SD&C
            Adhering to clients working times is a matter of professional courtesy as we supply them a service. Even more so when the question of times is linked to a suggestion of not fulfilling contractual obligations. Checking a supplier is delivering is supplier management. Nothing to do with SD&C.

            And where in my post does it say do what the superiors say?

            Loving the fact you try point a virtually non existing IR35 issues and call them his 'superiors'. Smart.
            Where does the OP state that required hours are written into the contract? That is nowhere to be found in any of the OP's posts. Your assertion that the hours are part of the contract when we know no such thing makes you look like the idiot.

            The only mention of "required hours" is in the email the OP received from the PM. That doesn't mean there's anything contractually binding. The PM may simply be referring to the "standard office hours" that the permies work to, mistakenly thinking that the OP, as a contractor, should be bound to those same hours. It may well be a "professional courtesy" to keep the same hours as the permies, but (unless it really is part of the contract, which is unclear and hasn't been divulged by OP) it's certainly not a requirement.

            The OP also states, "This has never been mentioned to me face to face, timesheets have always been signed". So the client has past form for implicitly accepting OP's behaviour and method of working.

            Again, so long as the work is getting done, and the client is signing off timesheets - indicating they are happy with the OP and the work delivered - nothing needs to change. It sounds very much like a PM who is trying to throw their weight around and ensure everyone, whether permie or contractor, toes the same line, presumably only to make their own lives a bit easier.

            And where in my post does it say do what the superiors say?
            Do the required hours, deliver the work and invoice on..... just make a little more effort to be visible, keep your nose clean << Right there

            Loving the fact you try point a virtually non existing IR35 issues and call them his 'superiors'. Smart.
            Yes, that was in reference to your advice to simply "do as your told" without question. It's what permies do. And they have superiors.
            Last edited by billybiro; 7 September 2017, 16:35.

            Comment


              #36
              Originally posted by BlasterBates View Post
              Working off premises should be contractually agreed. You can't just work at home, and whether you're in your car in the car park or at home makes no difference.
              Firstly their car park is part of their premises. If there is an accident in their car park it is a lot of bother for them. I only know this because a death in a car park happened at another client of mine, and they went around doing health and safety assessments in all their car parks then put warning signs everywhere. Some of the warning signs caused lots of amusement.

              Secondly in my case it was agreed that I could work at home (or in another suitable premises). I didn't ask permission to do so as it was part of their flexible workplace policies they used to lure me in...

              In the OP case he needs to explain politely that he was on-site, where he was and why as I stated before. If he kept fecking off to a meeting room in a different part of the building - and some client buildings are like a rabbit warren - to do his calls they still need to know he's on-site, where he is and why he keeps doing that.
              "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

              Comment


                #37
                Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
                Firstly their car park is part of their premises. If there is an accident in their car park it is a lot of bother for them. I only know this because a death in a car park happened at another client of mine, and they went around doing health and safety assessments in all their car parks then put warning signs everywhere. Some of the warning signs caused lots of amusement.

                Secondly in my case it was agreed that I could work at home (or in another suitable premises). I didn't ask permission to do so as it was part of their flexible workplace policies they used to lure me in...

                In the OP case he needs to explain politely that he was on-site, where he was and why as I stated before. If he kept fecking off to a meeting room in a different part of the building - and some client buildings are like a rabbit warren - to do his calls they still need to know he's on-site, where he is and why he keeps doing that.
                Exactly there was a contractual understanding, so you didn't need to ask permission (verbally amend the contract) but the OP should. The car park is not suitable as a work place, and I think they would not consent to people working there. If the work place where he is expected to work isn't suitable he needs to make new contractual arrangements. The company have designated a desk for the contractor to work at and they expect him to be there when he is working; there will also be a phone there which he is expected to use, he can't just go around the office willy nilly wandering into rooms using other peoples phones.
                I'm alright Jack

                Comment


                  #38
                  Originally posted by BlasterBates View Post
                  Exactly there was a contractual understanding, so you didn't need to ask permission (verbally amend the contract) but the OP should. The car park is not suitable as a work place, and I think they would not consent to people working there. If the work place where he is expected to work isn't suitable he needs to make new contractual arrangements. The company have designated a desk for the contractor to work at and they expect him to be there when he is working; there will also be a phone there which he is expected to use, he can't just go around the office willy nilly wandering into rooms using other peoples phones.
                  You made yet another presumption. This time that he has a desk phone.

                  I haven't for the clients I've worked for in the last 4 years, who have been are a mixture of large blue chip, government and SME organisations. All of them used/use internet applications like Skype or Lync, and if they didn't work I was/am expected to use my mobile. Employees depending on their level are expected to use these internet applications for work purposes only, or if they are high enough given a phone though that is often a work mobile.
                  "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

                  Comment


                    #39
                    Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
                    You made yet another presumption. This time that he has a desk phone.

                    I haven't for the clients I've worked for in the last 4 years, who have been are a mixture of large blue chip, government and SME organisations. All of them used/use internet applications like Skype or Lync, and if they didn't work I was/am expected to use my mobile. Employees depending on their level are expected to use these internet applications for work purposes only, or if they are high enough given a phone though that is often a work mobile.
                    Yes but was the car park a designated work place ?
                    I'm alright Jack

                    Comment


                      #40
                      Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
                      You made yet another presumption. This time that he has a desk phone.

                      I haven't for the clients I've worked for in the last 4 years, who have been are a mixture of large blue chip, government and SME organisations. All of them used/use internet applications like Skype or Lync, and if they didn't work I was/am expected to use my mobile. Employees depending on their level are expected to use these internet applications for work purposes only, or if they are high enough given a phone though that is often a work mobile.
                      As an aside, there's a funny story about a client's offices I did a gig at not too long ago. This office (client had many in different cities) had around 30 desks, and almost all desk were considered "hot desks". Whilst many desks had the same (mostly permie) people working at them day in day out, it wasn't uncommon for one of the permies to take a 2 day holiday and find either another permie (maybe on secondment from a different office) or a contractor sat at "their" desk upon their return. Moreover, the office had only 25 phones. For 30 desks. It was the source of much amusement when people's phones where continually moved around the office and some people (generally the more fixed position permies) would get angry intra-office emails from other staff members as they couldn't reach said person due to their phone being now used by a contractor on a different hot desk. It was even more amusing that, being IP phones, the non-techy people would move a phone and plug it into the network socket rather than the dedicated phone socket causing a network loopback and taking the entire local network down until the offending equipment was discovered.

                      Oh, how we laughed. Really enjoyed that gig!

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