Reply to: Suggestions on how to tackle notice period...

[northernladyuk]

Proving your lack of statistical knowledge again.

I forgive you, even though your transgression is in a professional forum.

[BrilloPad]

They must keep talking to your previous clients.

Proving your lack of statistical knowledge again.

[TheFaQQer]

They must keep talking to your previous clients.

First time, Oracle Manchester made a load of people redundant at the same time so it became more of a buyer's market. As they found out a few weeks later, there was a reason that their new employee had just been made redundant.

Second time, everything was put on hold as their market cap dropped by about £750 million in the space of a month.

Oh well.

[northernladyuk]

Happened twice with me with the same company

They must keep talking to your previous clients.

[TheFaQQer]

It is rare for a permie position offer to fall through but can happen (company mergers / takeovers etc.). But unlikely enough to accept the risk.

Happened twice with me with the same company

[northernladyuk]

Firstly, I'm not stupid enough to leave without a formal contract of employment in hand. So if I do land a contract role and then part way through decide to leave early, I would only do it if I have a contract signed up. I've never heard of a perm position falling through once an written offer is issues.

You're right to mention breaching the contract, that's why I will be reading any contract inside out, upside down and any which way I can. If the contract has some clauses which could potentially hurt me later on, why would I sign up?

Finally I have been speaking to the contractors I know, fortunately working in one of the largest IT service providers in the world I got to meet and become friends with a few. They've actually told me that contractors leaving part way through or even 1 day into a contract is quite common. So if I were to adhere to a 1 week notice period, I think I'd be doing a lot better than others.

As for not working for the same client ever again, I think it'd be a given if you left on bad terms with any employer (contract or perm) you'd probably never be considered for work there again.

It is rare for a permie position offer to fall through but can happen (company mergers / takeovers etc.). But unlikely enough to accept the risk.

[indianabones]

How you run things is up to you, but if you hand your notice in immediately / soon after starting, don't be surprised if the client says "don't bother coming in again" and you have no work while you wait for your perm job to come through - and it would be a real shame to see you come back here in a while asking what to do because the perm job fell through.

If you breach the contract, then that's a very different matter - you leave yourself open to all sorts of potential problems, and if you are going to go perm then I would want the cleanest possible break - you wouldn't want to have any pesky reference issues come up and lose the job, after all!

Firstly, I'm not stupid enough to leave without a formal contract of employment in hand. So if I do land a contract role and then part way through decide to leave early, I would only do it if I have a contract signed up. I've never heard of a perm position falling through once an written offer is issues.

You're right to mention breaching the contract, that's why I will be reading any contract inside out, upside down and any which way I can. If the contract has some clauses which could potentially hurt me later on, why would I sign up?

Finally I have been speaking to the contractors I know, fortunately working in one of the largest IT service providers in the world I got to meet and become friends with a few. They've actually told me that contractors leaving part way through or even 1 day into a contract is quite common. So if I were to adhere to a 1 week notice period, I think I'd be doing a lot better than others.

As for not working for the same client ever again, I think it'd be a given if you left on bad terms with any employer (contract or perm) you'd probably never be considered for work there again.

[TheFaQQer]

Just to add, I'm not in a contract but I am contemplating one and this is one of the questions I had. Possibly handing in notice soon after starting.

How you run things is up to you, but if you hand your notice in immediately / soon after starting, don't be surprised if the client says "don't bother coming in again" and you have no work while you wait for your perm job to come through - and it would be a real shame to see you come back here in a while asking what to do because the perm job fell through.

If you breach the contract, then that's a very different matter - you leave yourself open to all sorts of potential problems, and if you are going to go perm then I would want the cleanest possible break - you wouldn't want to have any pesky reference issues come up and lose the job, after all!

[indianabones]

Fortunately I have some very friends who have been contracting for over 10 years and in one case over 20 years. I've told them my situation and they're answer was just end your contract if you want, who gives a **** if it affects the market. You think about yourself, it's selfish, but who else is going to think about you?

Just to add, I'm not in a contract but I am contemplating one and this is one of the questions I had. Possibly handing in notice soon after starting.

About 6 weeks ago I start applying, at least 80 applications and about half and half in split. This is the week that I'm getting responses, even from the contract positions.

[mattfx]

I think your post is balanced and I understand what you are saying. But one thing I will say is, I'm don't make decisions based on what it'll be doing to the market. I am going to make decisions, as we probably all do, based on how it affects me.

I do plan on working in permanent roles for most of my life, but here and there we sometimes have to find other means to pay the bills. That is a stage I am at. I wish I have a stash load of money to keep me going for a a long time, but I don't and so I will settle for just about anything, perm or contract right now.

But you have to think about the contracting market and professional reputation as a whole; given you are already contracting I am assuming you are a skilled worker in your field. The more skilled you get the smaller the talent pool. People's names get around, and peeing clients off (permie or otherwise) by ducking out of gigs early is not going to do you (or anyone else) any favors in the long term.

Sorry to hear of your financial situation, but from what you've said my best advice to you is to go back to the permie market. Or just extend your current contract; you're in a very weak negotiating position. As others have said if you kick up a fuss about your notice you have to walk or risk looking a bit silly. Keep calm and carry on invoicing, wait until the market picks up in the New Year.

[indianabones]

there's less likelihood of that client ever using a contractor again. This has a negative effect on the whole market.

I think your post is balanced and I understand what you are saying. But one thing I will say is, I'm don't make decisions based on what it'll be doing to the market. I am going to make decisions, as we probably all do, based on how it affects me.

I do plan on working in permanent roles for most of my life, but here and there we sometimes have to find other means to pay the bills. That is a stage I am at. I wish I have a stash load of money to keep me going for a a long time, but I don't and so I will settle for just about anything, perm or contract right now.

[mattfx]

Stay permie. Contracting is not for you.

What he said.

[mattfx]

With no notice periods in some instances and very short term contracts you can see quite clearly why I would be hoping to land a more secure and suitable permanent position.

I just don't see why a contractor should worry about handing his notice in any more than a permanent member of staff? At the end of the day a person is free to choose what he does for a living provided it's not illegal.

As a perm you are bought on to tackle a role within an organisation. Sometimes that role will involve project work, other times business as usual management. More often than not as a contractor, you are bought in to tackle a requirement. That requirement may be a project, covering someone during sickness, etc. I'll use long term sick leave as an example; Your clientco knows how long the person will be off for recovering from an operation and knows what skills they need during that time. They bring a contractor / small business in to cover those skills for that time period. You don't then expect that resource to reneg the agreement and back out halfway through. You also wouldn't take a permanent member of staff on to fill that gap, because that'd be unfair when you had to let them go.

When you accept a contract, generally, you should see it through.

Furthermore - if you have a client who doesn't often use contractors and you give them a negative experience by marching off site leaving a project / engagement half finished, there's less likelihood of that client ever using a contractor again. This has a negative effect on the whole market.

[northernladuk]

With no notice periods in some instances and very short term contracts you can see quite clearly why I would be hoping to land a more secure and suitable permanent position.

Not in the slightest. You are on a forum full of seasoned contractors. It's exactly what we do. So no, I can't see why you would.

I just don't see why a contractor should worry about handing his notice in any more than a permanent member of staff? At the end of the day a person is free to choose what he does for a living provided it's not illegal.

Because it's business for us. We sell our services to our clients. Act like a mercenary and it's going to kill off any future business and ruin any relationships we rely of for getting future work.

Stay permie. Contracting is not for you.

[indianabones]

. For exactly this reason, no notice periods are becoming more and more common. Thanks for helping the fight

Forgive us if we aren't very sympathetic to your plan.

With no notice periods in some instances and very short term contracts you can see quite clearly why I would be hoping to land a more secure and suitable permanent position.

I just don't see why a contractor should worry about handing his notice in any more than a permanent member of staff? At the end of the day a person is free to choose what he does for a living provided it's not illegal.