Office Intimidation - Contractor Rights?

[Contractoid]

WTAS - I presume this is a joke.
NEVER EVER discuss personal details that you don't want everyone in the office to know about with ANYONE who you work with.
Most places will be chilled about the odd call, email check BUT it's their trainset so you FIT IN WITH WHAT YOU SEE ON SITE.
Take time off if you want for interviews, make some excuse if you prefer - relative going to hospital will shut most people up. Surf on your own time, in the car at lunch if you need to and phone people in the same way.
After 12 years in the game you should be a lot more clued up than this.
As regards the culture and bullying, leave if you can't stand it, play the game and get paid if you can, only permies think they can change things like this.

I Obviously I have been lucky to work with more relaxed attitudes and cultures. Sure, there has always been a bit of conflict between permies and contractors which has to be handled with care and respect of the underlying culture. This place has come as a total shock to me, maybe I just need to adjust my expectations and deal with things a bit more robustly
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I still stand by my original view that mandating minimum hours is getting the cart before the horse and motivates completely the wrong behaviour.

[BolshieBastard]

BTW, is this client in the gaming \ betting sector?

Sounds like a bunch of bellwhiffs I once had a telephone interview with.

They were so obnoxious, I cut the call short and told them they had failed the interview.

[psychocandy]

BTW, is this client in the gaming \ betting sector?

Sounds like a bunch of bellwhiffs I once had a telephone interview with.

They were so obnoxious, I cut the call short and told them they had failed the interview.

Out of interest, what did they do in the interview to make them sound so bad?

[NotAllThere]

I've only ever cut one contract short. That was due to it being deathmarch project, doomed to fail, with a rather unstable project manager.

I didn't complain. I just worked on an exit strategy, then implemented it. To get my last invoice paid, I had to threaten legal action, but I got the money in the end.

It happens. If you're feeling intimidated, walk away. You can only be bullied in the workplace if you give consent.

[Cenobite]

I'm curious: what sector is this company in?

I suspect the permies feel hard-done-by salarywise so I'm guessing public or academic sector.

[SueEllen]

I Obviously I have been lucky to work with more relaxed attitudes and cultures. Sure, there has always been a bit of conflict between permies and contractors which has to be handled with care and respect of the underlying culture. This place has come as a total shock to me, maybe I just need to adjust my expectations and deal with things a bit more robustly
.

Do you have a smartphone?

If so use it to check your emails on.

If you were doing that from the beginning of your contract, made an excuse about your sick relative and kept your mouth shut about looking for another contract no one would have been the wiser about you interviewing.

In your next contract get a smartphone if you don't have one, make sure you have a package with sufficient internet access and use that to check and reply to your company and personal emails.

If you need to send your CV then you can either:
1. Go into your car at lunch time, use your laptop and send one of, or,
2. Have various ones stored in your email account

[cojak]

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I still stand by my original view that mandating minimum hours is getting the cart before the horse and motivates completely the wrong behaviour.

Only if you're a permie - go back and re-read Kelstar's post.

They are your client, they don't give you motivation, they give you deliverables and money. The motivation is your responsibility, not theirs.

If you don't like it leave, but don't come here acting like a permie and expect sympathy.

[DieScum]

Sounds like you need to get out ASAP.

I'm not above inventing an emergency relative in hospital and just not turning up ever again. Obviously you have to weigh up what that will cost you.

Life's too short though. You'll get another contract.

[Contractoid]

BTW, is this client in the gaming \ betting sector?

Sounds like a bunch of bellwhiffs I once had a telephone interview with.

They were so obnoxious, I cut the call short and told them they had failed the interview.

No, its Finance. My first exposure in fact to this industry and I have heard similar stories happening in this industry. I also have firends in permanent roles in the city who have either themselves or others been through tribunals for this kind of stuff / unfair dismissals etc. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised its happened to me!

That particular one you mentioned in the gaming industry. Was it Gibraltar based by any chance? I only ask as I experienced the most ridiculous interview of my career there once!

[Scoobos]

If you don't like it leave, but don't come here acting like a permie and expect sympathy.

WHS, NLUK, Nomadd - everyone.

I've been in some horrible positions and had a single nasty contract I've broken early - but to infer you have "rights" shows that you have a serious problem from the off.

The problem I'm referring to is that you really need to have a long hard think to understand what it means to be a contractor and what you expect off the client. I've had people shout, scream , throw stuff around desks - swear - its all bravado of the executive office (I've also had many contracts that are nothing like that, before people read into it!) - a permy can go cry off to some tribunal somewhere - a contractor, swallow it and invoice.

The bottom line is, you can only really whinge if the relationship with the client is damaging your chances of future business (say you were deceived or perhaps their activities are questionable and could have you associated with them).

My boss is saying nasty things about me, really doesn't cut the mustard - you're an employee of your LTD not their employee - from the view of reading your posts you come across as needing attitude adjustment.