Have you ever had a "telling off" from the client?

[Sysman]

Ftfy

The 7 days a week bit wasn't in the contract.

But at time and a half for weekend work I wasn't objecting

[KentPhilip]

Got a proper a deserved one a few years back that went something like "if you ever do anything like that again I will remove you from site!

What had you done?

[doodab]

I've had 'quiet words' about my robust attitude to idiots over the years. In one case I pointed out to the PM having the quiet word that if he had done his job properly my bringing things to a head would have been unnecessary. He didn't like that either

[NotAllThere]

I did have a quiet word with a contractor once. He refused to work the one weekend he'd said from the start of the project that he wouldn't be available for. In the course of that, he explained to the project manager that he (the PM) couldn't manage his way out of a wet paper bag.

I was the domain lead, and away on the week it came to a head. On arrival at the office the PM asked to see me, and told me I needed to give the contractor a bollocking. So I picked up my deputy (who'd already told me the whole story) from his office and we went to the developers room, wearing our most solemn faces.

"Fred... we need to have a word".

Fred went pale.

We found an empty room, and sat him down on one side of the desk, while we sat, confrontationally, on the other side.

"Fred. We heard what happened between you and (the PM), and we have to say...well done! It needed saying and we couldn't agree with you more".

Fred's face was a sight to behold. That evening, by the fifth pint, he'd quite forgiven us. My deputy in this incident is now a CIO in a huge multinational, and still treats his staff with decency. I remain a scumbag contractor.

[formant]

Only telling off I've had was as a permie. For using office-inappropriate language.

It was bloody justified though. My language use, I mean.

Funniest thing about it was that this was my boss' boss telling me off. And he looked and sounded so uncomfortable and terrified doing it. I mean, I've been told I can come across as slightly intimidating, but seriously?

[Mich the Tester]

I've been 'told off' many, many times in my life. I was probably about an hour old the first time, and the effect on me of admonishments started to wear off immediately. My mother warned the teachers at primary school not to shout me as I would only laugh back at them. In this respect, I have not changed much.

[minestrone]

I got told to stop browsing the web, I laughed.

[Mich the Tester]

I got told to stop browsing the web, I laughed.

Well what else are you supposed to do with it?

[TheFaQQer]

I got told to stop browsing the web, I laughed.

My last permie job, they disabled contractor use of the internet. Permies were fine, so I then ended up with the joy of chasing Oracle support for updates on issues that I knew nothing about.

When I say "disabled", they went to each machine and deleted the proxy settings from IE. Hardly the most high tech solution, it must be said.

[Doggy Styles]

God yes. I was chucked off the project.

Then I discovered I was the latest of a series of contractors that this had happened to.

The Department Manager was an arse. One thing she complained about was a missing full stop in a first-draft document.

She was a bit surprised to see me a few months later, working happily in the same company for a different department.