Contract Period & Security

[Wanderer]

If you have under 2 years service you get nothing.

You are right that there's no statutory right to get redundancy pay if you've done less than 2 years but a permie may get a redundancy payoff anyway - it depends what's in their employment contract.

I got made redundant and got paid substantially more than what was required as statutory redundancy pay...

[SueEllen]

You are right that there's no statutory right to get redundancy pay if you've done less than 2 years but a permie may get a redundancy payoff anyway - it depends what's in their employment contract.

I got made redundant and got paid substantially more than what was required as statutory redundancy pay...

I know someone who got made redundant after 9 months and got £20K. There as I know people who got made redundant just before 2 years and have got f*** all. All IT firms.

The funniest I've heard is a part-time Saturday girl in a shop who got made redundant after 2 years she got something like £30. She was like WTF?

[VectraMan]

I was in a contract where they made most of the permies around me redundant (paying the minimum). I assumed my contract would be canned too, but it never happened, and I ended up staying another 9 months and getting a 15% rate rise.

Somebody told me on my first contract "the only real job security is having an in-demand skill". Good advice.

And the only real financial security is money in the bank. My attitude is to get ahead. If I work 1 month, I've earned enough for 2 months. If I work 6 months, I've earned enough for a year and if I end up on the bench for the second half of that year I'm no worse off.

[nomadd]

Hi, I'm new to the forums but have been a contractor for the last 5 years.

I just wondered what you guys think about contracts and their job security. OK, each day could technically be your last day, but its more than likely not the case. When you get a new contract through, do you think "great, garuanteed income and job security for x months" or do you still think that today could still be your last day?

It's a bit of a head screw to be honest and depends on the type of employer and job your doing, but in general what do you think?

If you get a gig for 6 months, have you ever worried that half way through the client will turn around and say they don't need you any more, hence you could be in trouble financially and your back on the bench? Do you budget for the "just in case" or don't you tend to worry (so long as you do your 6 months or whatever all is fine)?

I've never been told not to turn up mid-contract and always see through to the end, but in the back of my mind there is always the "it can happen" which sometimes makes it a little uneasy, especially when booking holidays, etc.

Have any of you been told not to turn up any more mid-contract? Is it ever likely to happen or do your clients always commit to spend in their budgets until the end of your gig (i.e. gauranteed income and job)?

Had all the above happen to me over the last 22 years of contracting.

Basically, as other's have said: keep a decent war chest and you are sorted.

I treat every day I'm in a contract as a "win"; anything outside of that as "normal" (i.e. not a "loss"). The ole chin up and keep invoicing whilst you can approach; don't worry, as the worst will probably never happen. And if it does, find another contract.