Strange client restrictions

[northernladuk]

Some weird clients out there. Had one who had a "contractors area" for desks which was a bit strange.....

Not strange at all. Many clients have areas for incumbent suppliers. Last client has an area dedicated to TCS application support and one before that a whole suite of desks put aside for Accenture.

Many reasons for doing this, particularly in an office where they are tight on space and run a 7 - 10 desk ratio. Contractors are generally expected to be onsite more so take the desk the permies usually hotdesk on which pisses them off royally.

Sometimes if you put some thought and effort in to understanding stuff rather than just looking at it and getting pissy with your client things would be much easier for you.

EDIT : All that assumes these stories are actually true.

[Paralytic]

Also, this particular client had a policy that contractors weren't allowed to leave site at lunchtime (but permes were). Ummm do one.

Did the client provide the shackles or did you have to provide your own? That could be a small contributor to any future retrospective IR35 assessment.

[northernladuk]

Did the client provide the shackles or did you have to provide your own? That could be a small contributor to any future retrospective IR35 assessment.

He's an inside permatractor so doesn't need any assessments.

They had a business reason anyway, people still need to phone the service desk during lunch so someone has to man the phones.

[Snarf]

Did they ask you to bring your own bog roll too?

You're not allowed to poop on company time.

[Hobosapien]

Many reasons for doing this, particularly in an office where they are tight on space and run a 7 - 10 desk ratio. Contractors are generally expected to be onsite more so take the desk the permies usually hotdesk on which pisses them off royally.

Yup. One client I was at had the permies in one large open plan office, all hotdesking, then a separate building for contractors/consultants under the idea of it being where the project teams were based. It had a really nice coffee machine until the permies sussed it out when coming over for meetings.

Ended up with the deluxe machine being replaced by the same crappy quality drinks machine the permies already had access to, as management thought we were drinking too much of the good stuff when it was all the permies coming over just to raid it so usage and running cost shot through the roof.

[Mephisto]

One client had some rough ground attached to a working men's club for contractor parking. We weren't allowed to use the tarmac on clientco property.

Bit of a walk but suppose it was nice of them to rent space for us to use. Also got free ice cream on a Friday. One internet cookie goes to the first person to guess the client (not hard).

[simes]

Due to the nature of my current gig being a start up, entirely populated from top to bottom by contractors, and all working in a near-Liverpool Street WeWork office, there is, for all, free...;

1. Coffee, served by a barista
2. Biscuits
3. Breakfast, on some days
4. Beer on tap, after 3pm, on all days

Am sure the client is paying handsomely for it.

Splendid.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Some weird clients out there. Had one who had a "contractors area" for desks which was a bit strange....

.

I've worked at quite a lot of clientcos with allocated contractor areas - these were typically the offices with no windows where their permies refused to work, filled with broken office furniture, like that bloke in Office Space who was fired but kept coming to work.

It was a way to vent their frustration at how much money we were getting paid.

[Old Greg]

Hi Folks,

Started a new contract yesterday; was given the usual Health & Safety tour, which ended at the kitchen area - where I was told that as a contractor I was not permitted to use the drink making facilities, I would need to bring my own tea/coffee/milk sugar!

Never come across this before, anyone else ever come across strange client restrictions?

Feel free to move this if it is best placed elsewhere.

WLB

Hire a barista for a couple of hours each morning.

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

It was a way to vent their frustration at how much money we were getting paid.

Nothing winds me up like a client that thinks because you're paid more you're OK to be treated like a slave, with constant clock watching and interrupting if you try to have a chat with someone etc