Are contractors held to a higher standard ?

[oraclesmith]

What I was curios about from those of you that have had years of contracting experience is whether contractors are held to a higher standard than permananent staff. The rest of my team are permies and I can't help but feel that I'm expected to know and do more than them. What is your experience ?

There are a few dynamics at work here :-

1. You are being paid more. Even if your end renumeration after taxes, NI etc isn't that far from a regular permie salary, they won't know that. Some permies will think you're being paid maybe a grand a day ! So they will probably be jealous.

2. You are an outsider. It's a sort of requirement of being a contractor to behave as an outsider because you are a hired hand, brought in to provide expert skills. If you're trying to be outside IR35, it's essential you behave differently to a permie. So you won't always be one of the gang.

3. The reason you're being brought in is that either (a) the in-house team hasn't got the skills or resources needed (b) the project manager likes contractors because he/she can push them around or (c) the organisation prefers contractors because they downsize/reorganise regularly. Either way, you'll probably be resented by some of the permies because they'll feel inadequate and under-rated by their own management.

4. You are temporary. Once the gig is over, you're off. The permies may not only be jealous that you'll be on you way to another more exciting role, but may think you're going to leave a mess behind that they need to support, or maybe that the remaining work will be boring. Either way, you'll be resented because they'd probably love to jump ship themselves if only they had the courage (back to inadequacy !)

5. Before you turned up, the permies probably tried their hardest to get the job done with existing resources and skills - and failed. Your existence is often a symbol of their failure.

6. You are an easy option for the PM, so they may well have talked up your skills and expertise level amongst the permies before you arrived and set a high expectation on your ability. You are his/her solution to a resource or skills issue. The permie staff probably hate the PM for this, so they'll see you as 'teachers pet'.

7. Depending on the contract, you may have access to higher levels of management than the permies because you represent a valuable supplier. You may find that management will treat you as a more valuable resource than the permies simply because you're being paid more and they won't want to waste your time/their money.

Of course all these negatives are also turned positives if you can actually deliver. In which case you will be grudgingly admired as their saviour - but not in the Chico sense !

[AtW]

Crikey Oracle, where did you learn to be so cynical?

Personally I am certain that contractors get hired out of goodness of the heart...

[kramer]

i think that can all be the case in some situations.... however everywhere is different..

for instance they may be dying for you to be there because

a. the work yur gonna get is rubbish

b. you being there frees them up to do something else

c. they are sick of the other permies they see everyday and are dying for interesting conversation

d. they actually want to know what you know technically

e. they want to pick your brains about being a contractor...

WINNER!!

[oraclesmith]

Crikey Oracle, where did you learn to be so cynical?

I was that PM !!!!

[Spike]

Thanks all for you feedback.